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Websphere Application ServerApplication · Ibm

CVE-2021-29754

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-06-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.0.0.45 / 8.0.0.15 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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
IBM WebSphere Application Server 7.0, 8.0, 8.5, and 9.0 is vulnerable to a privilege escalation vulnerability when using the SAML Web Inbound Trust Association Interceptor (TAI). IBM X-Force ID: 202006.

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 · moderate confidence

IBM WebSphere Application Server versions 7.0, 8.0, 8.5, and 9.0 contains a privilege escalation vulnerability in the SAML Web Inbound Trust Association Interceptor (TAI). When this TAI component is enabled, an authenticated attacker can escalate their privileges beyond what their user account should normally allow.

MitigationIf SAML Web Inbound TAI is not required, disable it. Otherwise, apply IBM's available security patches for this vulnerability and review TAI configuration for proper security controls.

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
Websphere Application ServerApplication
Affected:>= 7.0.0.0, < 7.0.0.45>= 8.0.0.0, < 8.0.0.15>= 8.5.0.0, < 8.5.5.20>= 9.0.0.0, < 9.0.5.8

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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 WebSphere Application Server version
    Run the versionInfo.sh (Linux/Unix) or versionInfo.bat (Windows) script located in the bin directory of your WebSphere installation, or inspect the install_root/properties/version files
    Affected if The version displayed falls within these ranges: 7.0.0.0 through 7.0.0.44, 8.0.0.0 through 8.0.0.14, 8.5.0.0 through 8.5.5.19, or 9.0.0.0 through 9.0.5.7
  2. Locate SAML Web Inbound TAI configuration
    Access the WebSphere Admin Console and navigate to Security > Global security > Web inbound trust association, or inspect the security.xml configuration file in the config/cells/ cell_name directory
    Affected if SAML Web Inbound TAI is listed as enabled or configured in the trust association settings
  3. Verify TAI is actively loaded
    Check the SystemOut.log or trace.log files for messages indicating the SAML TAI interceptor has been initialized, or query the runtime via wsadmin using the AdminControl object to list active trust association interceptors
    Affected if The SAML Web Inbound TAI interceptor appears in the loaded interceptors list
  4. Confirm authentication mechanism in use
    Review the security domain configuration to determine if SAML is the configured authentication method for the affected TAI, or inspect LTPA or SAML token configuration in the security settings
    Affected if SAML authentication is enabled and tied to the Web inbound trust association

You are affected if your WebSphere version is within the vulnerable ranges AND the SAML Web Inbound TAI is enabled and actively configured in your environment.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 7.0.0.45 / 8.0.0.15 / 8.5.5.20 or later
Fixed in 7.0.0.458.0.0.158.5.5.20
Interim mitigation

If SAML Web Inbound TAI is not required, disable it. Otherwise, apply IBM's available security patches for this vulnerability and review TAI configuration for proper security controls.

Recommended fix High confidence

WebSphere Application Server 7.0.0.45, 8.0.0.15, 8.5.5.20, or 9.0.5.8 (depending on your current major version)

  1. 1. Back up the current WebSphere Application Server configuration and deployment manager profile.
  2. 2. Download the appropriate fix pack from IBM Fix Central (https://www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/) for your current version.
  3. 3. For WebSphere 7.0: Upgrade to version 7.0.0.45 or later.
  4. 4. For WebSphere 8.0: Upgrade to version 8.0.0.15 or later.
  5. 5. For WebSphere 8.5: Upgrade to version 8.5.5.20 or later.
  6. 6. For WebSphere 9.0: Upgrade to version 9.0.5.8 or later.
  7. 7. Apply the update using IBM Installation Manager or the update installer appropriate for your deployment.
  8. 8. Restart the WebSphere Application Server after applying the update.
Caveat Review IBM WebSphere fix pack release notes for any compatibility changes before upgrading

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Websphere Application Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2021-29754 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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