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Weblogic ServerApplication · Oracle

CVE-2023-21996

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-04-18
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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: Web Services). Supported versions that are affected are 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 HTTP to compromise Oracle WebLogic Server. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized ability to cause a hang or frequently repeatable crash (complete DOS) of Oracle WebLogic Server. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 7.5 (Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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

Unauthenticated remote attackers can exploit a vulnerability in Oracle WebLogic Server's Web Services component via HTTP to cause a complete denial of service, either hanging or repeatedly crashing the server.

MitigationApply Oracle Critical Patch Updates (CPU) for CVE-2023-21996 or upgrade to a patched version of WebLogic Server. Implement network-level access controls to restrict HTTP exposure of WebLogic endpoints.

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:= 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
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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
    Locate the WebLogic installation directory. Common paths include $ORACLE_HOME/wlserver or C:\Oracle\Middleware\wlserver. Check for the existence of the WebLogic home directory and verify it contains the wlserver folder structure.
    Affected if WebLogic Server is not installed on the system.
  2. Determine the installed WebLogic version
    Check the version file in the installation directory. Common locations: $ORACLE_HOME/wlserver/modules/com.oracle.weblogic.server_14.1.1.0.jar or look for a version.txt in the installation root. Alternatively, access the WebLogic Administration Console and view the Server > Configuration > General page for the version number.
    Affected if The installed version matches exactly 12.2.1.3.0, 12.2.1.4.0, or 14.1.1.0.0.
  3. Verify Web Services module is in use
    Check if the Web Services component is deployed. In the WebLogic Administration Console, navigate to Deployments and look for any deployed Web Services (ws-* or *-ws applications). Also check the config/config.xml for <web-service> descriptors.
    Affected if Web Services are deployed and accessible on the server.
  4. Confirm HTTP exposure of WebLogic endpoints
    Identify if HTTP listeners are enabled for the WebLogic Server. Check the Administration Console under Servers > [ServerName] > Protocols > HTTP to confirm HTTP is enabled. Verify network accessibility by checking if the default HTTP port (7001) or configured ports are open to network traffic.
    Affected if HTTP protocol is enabled and the server is accessible over the network on HTTP ports.

If WebLogic Server is installed with an exact version of 12.2.1.3.0, 12.2.1.4.0, or 14.1.1.0.0, has Web Services deployed, and exposes HTTP endpoints to the network, the environment is affected by CVE-2023-21996.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply Oracle Critical Patch Updates (CPU) for CVE-2023-21996 or upgrade to a patched version of WebLogic Server. Implement network-level access controls to restrict HTTP exposure of WebLogic endpoints.

Recommended fix High confidence
  1. Navigate to Oracle Support and search for patch 35094987 (April 2023 CPU) for your specific WebLogic Server version
  2. Download the appropriate patch for your platform (AIX, HP-UX, Linux, Solaris, or Windows)
  3. Review the patch readme for prerequisites and installation instructions
  4. Apply the patch using Oracle's OPatch utility: opatch apply <patch_directory>
  5. Restart the WebLogic Server services after applying the patch
  6. Verify the patch was applied successfully by checking the opatch lsinventory output
  7. Confirm the vulnerability is remediated by testing Web Services functionality

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

Fix this in Weblogic 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-2023-21996 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