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Sql DeveloperApplication · Oracle

CVE-2023-21969

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-04-18
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 23.1.0 or later.
See remediation →
69/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 Oracle SQL Developer (component: Installation). Supported versions that are affected are Prior to 23.1.0. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows high privileged attacker with logon to the infrastructure where Oracle SQL Developer executes to compromise Oracle SQL Developer. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in takeover of Oracle SQL Developer. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 6.7 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/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 · moderate confidence

Vulnerability in Oracle SQL Developer's Installation component allows a high-privileged attacker with local system access to compromise the application, potentially achieving full takeover. The attack requires local access (AV:L) and high privileges (PR:H), with no user interaction needed.

MitigationUpgrade Oracle SQL Developer to version 23.1.0 or later. Additionally, restrict local access to systems where SQL Developer is installed and ensure proper filesystem permissions on installation directories.

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
Sql DeveloperApplication
Affected:< 23.1.0

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/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. Confirm Oracle SQL Developer installation
    Check common installation directories for Windows (C:\Program Files\Oracle\SQL Developer or %APPDATA%\sqldeveloper), macOS (/Applications/SQL Developer.app or ~/Applications/SQL Developer), or Linux (~/sqldeveloper or /opt/sqldeveloper). Look for sqldeveloper executable or the product directory.
    Affected if SQL Developer is not found in any standard installation location, then it is likely not installed.
  2. Determine installed SQL Developer version
    Run 'sqldeveloper --version' from command line, or open SQL Developer and navigate to Help > About, or check for a version file in the installation directory such as README or a .version text file.
    Affected if Unable to determine version indicates SQL Developer may not be properly installed or accessible.
  3. Compare version against affected range
    Review the discovered version number. Note that version format may appear as major.minor.patch (e.g., 22.2.1 or 23.0.1). Compare numerically ensuring any version below 23.1.0 is considered vulnerable.
    Affected if Installed version is less than 23.1.0 (for example 22.2.1, 21.4.5, 20.4.0). Versions 23.1.0 and later are NOT affected.
  4. Verify installation component is present
    Confirm the 'Installation' component or related modules exist within the SQL Developer installation directory. This component is specific to the vulnerability location.
    Affected if The Installation component directory exists within the SQL Developer installation, indicating the vulnerable component is present.

Environment is affected if Oracle SQL Developer is installed with any version prior to 23.1.0, the Installation component exists, and the attacker has high privileges with local system access.

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 23.1.0 or later
Fixed in 23.1.0
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Oracle SQL Developer to version 23.1.0 or later. Additionally, restrict local access to systems where SQL Developer is installed and ensure proper filesystem permissions on installation directories.

Recommended fix High confidence

Oracle SQL Developer 23.1.0 or later

  1. 1. Back up your current Oracle SQL Developer installation and any associated workspaces or projects.
  2. 2. Download Oracle SQL Developer version 23.1.0 or later from the official Oracle website.
  3. 3. Uninstall the current version of Oracle SQL Developer through the standard operating system uninstallation process.
  4. 4. Install the newly downloaded version 23.1.0 or later.
  5. 5. Restore your backed up workspaces, projects, and connections if needed.
  6. 6. Verify the installation by launching SQL Developer and confirming it runs without errors.

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

Fix this in Sql Developer Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,090
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,744.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2023-21969 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