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Web Services ManagerApplication · Oracle

CVE-2023-21862

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-01-18
Patch available
A vendor patch is available. No clean upgrade release — apply the published patch.
See remediation →
88/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges Patch available

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 Web Services Manager product of Oracle Fusion Middleware (component: XML Security component). The supported version that is affected is 12.2.1.4.0. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle Web Services Manager. Successful attacks require human interaction from a person other than the attacker. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized creation, deletion or modification access to critical data or all Oracle Web Services Manager accessible data as well as unauthorized access to critical data or complete access to all Oracle Web Services Manager accessible data. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 8.1 (Confidentiality and Integrity impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N).

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
How this class of weakness works · CWE-611

An XML parser processes external entity references inside untrusted documents, letting an attacker read local files, reach internal systems, or exhaust resources. It's a common trap in anything that accepts XML. The fix is to disable external entities and DTD processing in the parser.

General guidance for the xml external entity (xxe) class — the official description and references above are authoritative for this specific CVE. Want a bespoke review and a reviewed fix? Ask our team →

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
Web Services ManagerApplication
Affected:= 12.2.1.4.0

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
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None

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

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
Patch available Apply the vendor patch
Vendor patch www.oracle.com →
Recommended fix High confidence

Apply Oracle January 2023 Critical Patch Update to 12.2.1.4.0

  1. Review the Oracle January 2023 Critical Patch Update advisory at https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujan2023.html to locate the specific patch for Oracle Web Services Manager 12.2.1.4.0
  2. Obtain the required patch from Oracle Support (My Oracle Support) - patches are typically distributed as Opatch updates
  3. Ensure you have a complete backup of your Oracle Web Services Manager installation before applying any patches
  4. Apply the January 2023 Critical Patch Update to your Oracle Fusion Middleware 12.2.1.4.0 installation
  5. After applying the patch, restart the Oracle Web Services Manager components to ensure the security fix takes effect
  6. Verify the patch was applied successfully by checking the Oracle Opatch inventory
Caveat Standard Oracle CPU patches typically have minimal risk but should be tested in a non-production environment first due to potential impacts on existing configurations

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

We can apply and verify the patch for your build — typical engagement from $3,200. Get the patch applied

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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-2023-21862 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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