CVE-2023-6578
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 vulnerability classified as critical has been found in Software AG WebMethods 10.11.x/10.15.x. Affected is an unknown function of the file wm.server/connect/. The manipulation leads to improper access controls. It is possible to launch the attack remotely. To access a file like /assets/ a popup may request username and password. By just clicking CANCEL you will be redirected to the directory. If you visited /invoke/wm.server/connect, you'll be able to see details like internal IPs, ports, and versions. In some cases if access to /assets/ is refused, you may enter /assets/x as a wrong value, then come back to /assets/ which we will show the requested data. It appears that insufficient access control is depending on referrer header data. VDB-247158 is the identifier assigned to this vulnerability. NOTE: The vendor was contacted early about this disclosure but did not respond in any way.
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 confidenceImproper access control vulnerability in Software AG WebMethods allows unauthenticated remote attackers to bypass authentication by manipulating HTTP referrer headers or canceling authentication prompts. The vulnerability affects the wm.server/connect/ endpoint and allows access to sensitive internal information including IPs, ports, and version details.
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>= 10.11, <= 10.11.4>= 10.15, <= 10.15.4CVSS 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
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
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 Software AG WebMethods installationLocate WebMethods installation directories or check for webMethods-related services running on the server. Common installation paths include /opt/softwareag or C:\SoftwareAG on Windows.Affected if Software AG WebMethods is present on the system
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Check WebMethods versionAccess the WebMethods admin console or check version files within the installation directory. The version is typically displayed in the admin UI or in product-specific configuration files.Affected if Installed version falls within 10.11.0 through 10.11.4 or 10.15.0 through 10.15.4
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Verify wm.server/connect endpoint accessibilityAttempt to access the wm.server/connect/ endpoint via HTTP/HTTPS request to the WebMethods server (e.g., http://<server>/wm.server/connect/). Check if the endpoint responds without requiring authentication.Affected if The endpoint is accessible and responds to unauthenticated requests
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Test for authentication bypassSend a request to the wm.server/connect/ endpoint with a manipulated HTTP Referrer header or by canceling authentication prompts. Observe if sensitive information (IPs, ports, version details) is returned without proper authentication.Affected if The endpoint returns sensitive internal information without successful authentication
A system is affected if it runs Software AG WebMethods versions 10.11.0-10.11.4 or 10.15.0-10.15.4 with the wm.server/connect/ endpoint exposed and accessible without proper authentication.
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.
dbcve · scopedUntil vendor patch is available, implement network segmentation to restrict access to affected endpoints, deploy WAF rules to detect and block referrer header manipulation attempts, and consider disabling or restricting access to the wm.server/connect/ endpoint if not required for business functions.
WebMethods 10.15.5 or later stable release
- 1. Identify all WebMethods instances running versions 10.11.x (up to 10.11.4) or 10.15.x (up to 10.15.4) in the environment
- 2. Review the current access control configuration for the /wm.server/connect/ and /assets/ endpoints
- 3. Implement network-level restrictions to limit access to sensitive endpoints, allowing only trusted IP ranges or VPN-accessible networks
- 4. If available from Software AG support, request the security hotfix for this vulnerability
- 5. Plan an upgrade to the latest stable WebMethods release (beyond 10.15.4) which should include the fix for this improper access control issue
- 6. After upgrade, verify that authentication is properly enforced on /wm.server/connect/ and /assets/ endpoints - cancelling the auth dialog should not grant access
- 7. Test that internal information (IPs, ports, versions) is no longer exposed without valid authentication
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-6578 — 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-2023-6578 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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