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Websphere Application ServerApplication · Ibm

CVE-2025-14914

HIGH · 7.6 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-02-02
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 26.0.0.1 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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 Liberty 17.0.0.3 through 26.0.0.1 could allow a privileged user to upload a zip archive containing path traversal sequences resulting in an overwrite of files leading to arbitrary code execution.

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 confidence

IBM WebSphere Application Server Liberty versions 17.0.0.3 through 26.0.0.1 contains a path traversal vulnerability in its zip archive upload functionality. A privileged user can craft a zip archive containing path traversal sequences (e.g., '../') in filenames to write files outside the intended extraction directory, enabling arbitrary code execution via overwrite of system or application files.

MitigationApply the IBM-provided security patch for this vulnerability. Until patched, restrict privileged user upload capabilities and implement server-side validation of archive contents to reject path traversal sequences before extraction.

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:>= 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
High
Privileges
High
User interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

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

  1. Identify WebSphere Liberty version
    Run 'java -jar wlp/lib/ws-javaagent.jar -version' or check the 'productInfo version' in the server startup logs, or inspect the 'wlp/lib/versions/WebSphereApplicationServer.properties' file
    Affected if The installed version is 17.0.0.3 through 26.0.0.1 inclusive
  2. Locate the feature configuration
    Check the server.xml file in the 'wlp/usr/servers/<serverName>/' directory for feature definitions
    Affected if Features related to zip archive handling, file upload, or admincenter are enabled in the featureManager section
  3. Verify if zip upload capability is active
    Search server.xml for features like 'adminCenter-1.0', 'fileUpload-1.0', or custom feature configurations that enable zip archive extraction; also check 'server.env' for related upload settings
    Affected if Any feature or configuration enabling zip archive upload and extraction is present and enabled
  4. Inspect file extraction directory configuration
    Check server.xml and any associated bootstrap.properties for 'appFilesDestination', 'tempDir', or 'extractDir' settings that define where uploaded archives are extracted
    Affected if An extraction directory is configured and accessible to privileged users performing uploads

Your environment is affected if the installed WebSphere Liberty version falls within 17.0.0.3 to 26.0.0.1 AND the zip archive upload or extraction feature is enabled in your server configuration.

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 26.0.0.1
Interim mitigation

Apply the IBM-provided security patch for this vulnerability. Until patched, restrict privileged user upload capabilities and implement server-side validation of archive contents to reject path traversal sequences before extraction.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

IBM WebSphere Application Server Liberty 26.0.0.2 or later

  1. 1. Download IBM WebSphere Application Server Liberty version 26.0.0.2 or later from IBM Fix Central or your IBM entitlement.
  2. 2. Before upgrading, review the IBM WebSphere Application Server Liberty fix list for version 26.0.0.2 to confirm the security fix for CVE-2025-14914 is included.
  3. 3. Backup your current WebSphere Liberty installation and configuration directories.
  4. 4. Stop the WebSphere Liberty server.
  5. 5. Install version 26.0.0.2 or later following the IBM installation documentation.
  6. 6. Validate your applications function correctly after the upgrade.
  7. 7. Test that the path traversal vulnerability is no longer exploitable by attempting to upload archives with path traversal sequences (../) - this should now be blocked.
Caveat Review IBM's fix list for any compatibility changes; minor version upgrades typically have low risk but test in non-production first

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
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,840
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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-2025-14914 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