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Websphere Application ServerApplication · Ibm

CVE-2025-12635

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-12-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 8.5.5.29 / 9.0.5.27 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable

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, 9.0 and IBM WebSphere Application Server Liberty 17.0.0.3 through 25.0.0.12 are affected by cross-site scripting due to improper validation of user-supplied input. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by using a specially crafted URL to redirect the user to a malicious site.

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 (traditional 8.5, 9.0 and Liberty 17.0.0.3 through 25.0.0.12) contains a cross-site scripting vulnerability caused by improper validation of user-supplied input. Attackers can exploit this by crafting malicious URLs that can redirect users to phishing sites or execute arbitrary JavaScript in the victim's browser.

MitigationApply the IBM security patch for CVE-2025-12635 to update WebSphere to a patched version level, or implement URL validation/sanitization at the web server or application layer to reject maliciously crafted redirect URLs.

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, < 8.5.5.29>= 9.0, < 9.0.5.27>= 17.0.0.3, < 26.0.0.1

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
Low
User interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify WebSphere traditional version
    Run the versionInfo.sh command (or versionInfo.bat on Windows) from the bin directory of the WebSphere installation, or access the Admin Console and navigate to the About WebSphere Application Server section to view the version
    Affected if The version is 8.5.x where x < 29, or 9.0.x where x < 27
  2. Identify WebSphere Liberty version
    Check the server.xml file in the Liberty server directory for the version attribute, or run the 'server version' command from the Liberty bin directory
    Affected if The version is 17.0.0.3 through 25.0.0.12 (any version < 26.0.0.1 starting from 17.0.0.3)
  3. Verify HTTP or admin console access is enabled
    Check the server.xml (Liberty) or serverindex.xml (traditional) configuration files to confirm that the HTTP transport or admin console is enabled and accessible over network
    Affected if The server is configured to accept HTTP connections and the vulnerable URL handling component is accessible
  4. Review existing URL validation filters
    Inspect any custom filters, security agents, or web server configurations (such as IBM HTTP Server plugin-cfg.xml or external proxy rules) that may already perform URL validation on incoming requests
    Affected if No URL validation or sanitization filters are currently implemented in the deployment stack

You are affected if you run WebSphere traditional versions 8.5.x below 8.5.5.29 or 9.0.x below 9.0.5.27, or Liberty versions 17.0.0.3 through 25.0.0.12, and the server accepts HTTP connections where untrusted URLs could be processed.

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 8.5.5.29 / 9.0.5.27 / 26.0.0.1 or later
Fixed in 8.5.5.299.0.5.2726.0.0.1
Interim mitigation

Apply the IBM security patch for CVE-2025-12635 to update WebSphere to a patched version level, or implement URL validation/sanitization at the web server or application layer to reject maliciously crafted redirect URLs.

Recommended fix High confidence

WebSphere Application Server 8.5.5.29, 9.0.5.27, or Liberty 26.0.0.1 depending on product type

  1. 1. Identify the exact current version of IBM WebSphere Application Server or WebSphere Liberty by checking the installation directory or admin console.
  2. 2. For WebSphere Application Server traditional: Plan and schedule a maintenance window for the upgrade, as this requires a full product upgrade.
  3. 3. Download the appropriate fix pack from IBM Fix Central (https://www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral): For 8.5.x, download 8.5.5.29; for 9.0.x, download 9.0.5.27; for Liberty, download 26.0.0.1.
  4. 4. Back up the current WebSphere configuration, profiles, and any custom applications before proceeding.
  5. 5. For traditional WebSphere Application Server: Use the IBM Installation Manager to apply the update to each cell/node. Stop all application servers first.
  6. 6. For WebSphere Liberty: Replace the existing Liberty core files with the 26.0.0.1 installation, or use the latest Liberty repository to update.
  7. 7. After upgrade, restart the WebSphere servers and verify all applications are functioning correctly.
  8. 8. Validate the fix by attempting the XSS vector described in the CVE - the vulnerable URL redirect should no longer execute.
Caveat Major version upgrades (especially to Liberty 26.x) may introduce compatibility issues with older applications or APIs; thoroughly test custom applications in a staging environment before production deployment

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

Fix this in Websphere Application Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
21.0 hours of engineering $3,680
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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-2025-12635 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