CVE-2023-28462
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 · uneditedA JNDI rebind operation in the default ORB listener in Payara Server 4.1.2.191 (Enterprise), 5.20.0 and newer (Enterprise), and 5.2020.1 and newer (Community), when Java 1.8u181 and earlier is used, allows remote attackers to load malicious code on the server once a JNDI directory scan is performed.
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 confidenceA JNDI rebind vulnerability in the default ORB listener of Payara Server allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by loading malicious Java classes once a JNDI directory scan is performed. This only affects deployments using Java 1.8u181 or earlier, where the JNDI lookup mechanism can be abused to deserialize and execute malicious code from attacker-controlled LDAP or RMI 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>= 4.1.2.191, <= 5.0.0>= 5.20.0>= 5.2020.1CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Payara Server versionCheck the Payara Server version by inspecting the version file in the Payara installation directory or by running the asadmin version command. Compare this version against the affected ranges: 4.1.2.191 to 5.0.0, 5.20.0, or 5.2020.1 and above.Affected if The installed version falls within any of the affected version ranges (>= 4.1.2.191 and <= 5.0.0, or >= 5.20.0, or >= 5.2020.1).
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Determine Java version in useRun 'java -version' from the command line to identify the Java runtime version. Look for Java 1.8u181 or earlier versions specifically.Affected if The Java runtime is version 1.8u181 or earlier. Versions after 1.8u181 are not affected by this specific JNDI deserialization flaw.
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Verify default ORB listener is enabledCheck the Payara domain.xml configuration file for the presence and status of the default ORB listener service. This is typically found in the domain config under the ORB or IIOP listener settings.Affected if The default ORB listener is enabled and accessible. This is required for the JNDI directory scan attack vector to be exploitable.
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Confirm JNDI naming service exposureReview network exposure and firewall rules for the Payara Server IIOP and JNDI ports (default ports 3700 for IIOP and 7676 for ORB). Determine if these ports are reachable from untrusted networks.Affected if The JNDI/ORB listener ports are exposed to untrusted networks, allowing external attackers to perform JNDI directory scans.
The environment is affected if Payara Server version is in the affected ranges AND Java 1.8u181 or earlier is used AND the default ORB listener is enabled and accessible.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataUpgrade Java to version 1.8u181 or later (preferably Java 11+ LTS or 17+), and upgrade Payara Server to a patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, disable the default ORB listener or restrict network access to prevent unauthorized JNDI directory scans.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-28462 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-28462 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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