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Websphere Application ServerApplication · Ibm

CVE-2024-45072

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-10-16
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 9.0.5.21 or later.
See remediation →
61/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable 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
IBM WebSphere Application Server 8.5 and 9.0 is vulnerable to an XML External Entity Injection (XXE) attack when processing XML data. A privileged user could exploit this vulnerability to expose sensitive information or consume memory resources.

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

IBM WebSphere Application Server versions 8.5 and 9.0 are vulnerable to XML External Entity Injection (XXE) when processing XML data. A privileged user can craft malicious XML containing external entity references to read sensitive files from the server filesystem or cause memory exhaustion via entity expansion attacks.

MitigationDisable external entity processing in XML parsers used by WebSphere applications, implement strict input validation for XML content, and apply IBM security patches when available. Consider using OWASP XXE prevention cheat sheet guidelines for securing XML parsers.

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
Websphere Application ServerApplication
Affected:>= 8.5.0.0, <= 8.5.5.26>= 9.0.0.0, <= 9.0.5.21

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
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
Low

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

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 installed WebSphere Application Server version
    Run the versionInfo command from the WebSphere bin directory: versionInfo -maintenancePackages, or check the install_dir/logs/versionInfo.log file. Alternatively, access the Administrative Console and navigate to Servers > Server Types > WebSphere application servers > [server_name] to view the version information.
    Affected if The installed version falls within 8.5.0.0 through 8.5.5.26 OR 9.0.0.0 through 9.0.5.21
  2. Identify XML processing configurations in applications
    Review application deployment descriptors (web.xml, ibm-web-ext.xml) and look for XML parsing configurations. Search application configurations for javax.xml.parsers, DocumentBuilder, or SAXParser factory settings. Check for custom XML handler configurations that may enable external entity processing.
    Affected if Applications process XML data using default parser configurations that allow external entity references
  3. Review custom XML parser implementations
    Search application source code for classes that extend org.xml.sax.helpers.DefaultHandler, implement ContentHandler, or use DocumentBuilderFactory/SAXParserFactory without explicitly disabling external entities. Look for XMLReader and TransformerFactory configurations.
    Affected if Custom code uses XML parsers without disabling DTD processing or external entity features (DISABLE_DTDs and DISABLE_EXTERNAL_ENTITY_RESOLUTION not set)
  4. Check for XXE-vulnerable SOAP or REST endpoints
    Examine web services descriptors (webservices.xml, wsdl files) and RESTful service configurations. Identify endpoints that accept XML payloads. Review the IBM WebSphere administrative console for JAX-WS and JAX-RS service configurations that process XML.
    Affected if The environment hosts web services or REST endpoints that accept and parse XML payloads without input validation

A user is affected if their WebSphere Application Server version is 8.5.0.0 through 8.5.5.26 or 9.0.0.0 through 9.0.5.21 AND the server processes XML content through applications, web services, or configurations that do not explicitly disable external entity and DTD processing.

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 a release after 9.0.5.21
Interim mitigation

Disable external entity processing in XML parsers used by WebSphere applications, implement strict input validation for XML content, and apply IBM security patches when available. Consider using OWASP XXE prevention cheat sheet guidelines for securing XML parsers.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

WebSphere 8.5.5.27+ or 9.0.5.22+ (depending on your current major version)

  1. 1. Identify your current WebSphere Application Server exact version using the wsadmin console or by checking the installation directory for the version.info file
  2. 2. For WebSphere 8.5.x installations: Upgrade to WebSphere Application Server 8.5.5.27 or later
  3. 3. For WebSphere 9.0.x installations: Upgrade to WebSphere Application Server 9.0.5.22 or later
  4. 4. Download the upgrade from IBM Fix Central (https://www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral) or your IBM Passport Advantage account
  5. 5. Apply the upgrade following IBM's standard installation procedures - typically using the IBM Installation Manager
  6. 6. After upgrade, restart the WebSphere Application Server services to ensure the fix takes effect
  7. 7. Verify the version has been updated correctly post-restart
Caveat Standard upgrade risks apply - test in non-production first; review IBM's migration guide for any compatibility considerations with your applications

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

Fix this in Websphere Application Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
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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-2024-45072 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