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Weblogic ServerApplication · Oracle

CVE-2021-2397

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-07-21
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Vulnerability in the Oracle WebLogic Server product of Oracle Fusion Middleware (component: Core). Supported versions that are affected are 10.3.6.0.0, 12.1.3.0.0, 12.2.1.3.0, 12.2.1.4.0 and 14.1.1.0.0. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via T3, IIOP to compromise Oracle WebLogic Server. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in takeover of Oracle WebLogic Server. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 9.8 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Critical remote code execution vulnerability in Oracle WebLogic Server's Core component allows unauthenticated attackers with network access via T3 or IIOP protocols to execute arbitrary code and completely takeover the server. The vulnerability affects versions 10.3.6.0.0 through 14.1.1.0.0.

MitigationApply Oracle's July 2021 Critical Patch Update (CPU) or later. If immediate patching is not possible, disable T3/IIOP protocols and restrict network access to WebLogic administration ports.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Weblogic ServerApplication
Affected:= 10.3.6.0.0= 12.1.3.0.0= 12.2.1.3.0= 12.2.1.4.0= 14.1.1.0.0

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify WebLogic Server installation and version
    Locate the WebLogic installation directory and check the version.properties or inventory file. Common paths include $ORACLE_HOME/wlserver_10.3, $ORACLE_HOME/wlserver_12.1, or check the registry file in the Bea folder. Run: find $ORACLE_HOME -name 'version.properties' 2>/dev/null or check the bin/productInfo.xml file.
    Affected if The installed version falls within 10.3.6.0.0 through 14.1.1.0.0 inclusive (or matches specific versions 10.3.6.0.0, 12.1.3.0.0, 12.2.1.3.0, 12.2.1.4.0, or 14.1.1.0.0)
  2. Confirm T3 protocol is enabled
    Check the WebLogic Server configuration files (config.xml) for T3 protocol settings. Look in the $DOMAIN_HOME/config directory for network access channel configurations. T3 is typically enabled by default on the admin server and managed servers. Inspect the NetworkAccessPoint or ServerMBean configurations.
    Affected if T3 protocol is enabled and accessible on any network-exposed interface
  3. Confirm IIOP protocol is enabled
    Check the WebLogic Server configuration for IIOP settings. In the admin console, navigate to Servers > [server name] > Protocols > IIOP, or inspect the config.xml for <IIOPServerMBean> or <IIOPConfigurationMBean> entries. IIOP is often enabled by default.
    Affected if IIOP protocol is enabled and accessible on any network-exposed interface
  4. Verify network exposure of WebLogic administration ports
    Identify the listening ports for the WebLogic admin server (typically 7001 default) and managed servers. Use netstat or ss commands: netstat -tlnp | grep -E '7001|7002|8001|9001' or review the config.xml <Server> entries for <ListenPort> values. Check if these ports are exposed to untrusted networks.
    Affected if WebLogic ports (admin console, managed server ports) are accessible from untrusted network segments or the internet

You are affected if WebLogic Server version is between 10.3.6.0.0 and 14.1.1.0.0 AND either T3 or IIOP protocol is enabled and accessible on a network-adjacent attacker machine.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply Oracle's July 2021 Critical Patch Update (CPU) or later. If immediate patching is not possible, disable T3/IIOP protocols and restrict network access to WebLogic administration ports.

Fix this in Weblogic Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
24.0 hours of engineering $4,160
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-2397 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data