dbcve.org
Weblogic ServerApplication · Oracle

CVE-2025-21535

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-01-21
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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
Vulnerability in the Oracle WebLogic Server product of Oracle Fusion Middleware (component: Core). Supported versions that are affected are 12.2.1.4.0 and 14.1.1.0.0. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via T3, IIOP to compromise Oracle WebLogic Server. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in takeover of Oracle WebLogic Server. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 9.8 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

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

Oracle WebLogic Server contains a critical vulnerability in its Core component affecting versions 12.2.1.4.0 and 14.1.1.0.0. Unauthenticated attackers can exploit this via the T3 or IIOP protocols to achieve complete system takeover, including full confidentiality, integrity, and availability compromise.

MitigationApply Oracle Critical Patch Update immediately to the affected WebLogic versions and consider restricting or disabling T3/IIOP network listeners if not required for business operations.

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
Weblogic ServerApplication
Affected:= 12.2.1.4.0= 14.1.1.0.0

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
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 checks

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

  1. Identify the installed WebLogic Server version
    Locate the WebLogic installation directory and check the version file (typically in the 'wlserver' or 'Oracle_Home' directory). Look for a version file or check the WebLogic Administration Console under 'Server' > 'Summary' to confirm the exact version number.
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 12.2.1.4.0 or exactly 14.1.1.0.0
  2. Verify if T3 protocol listener is enabled
    In the WebLogic Administration Console, navigate to 'Servers' > 'your_server' > 'Protocols' > 'T3'. Alternatively, inspect the config.xml file in the domain configuration directory and look for <server> entries containing <t3-enabled>true</t3-enabled>. You can also use netstat to check if port 7001 (default T3) is listening.
    Affected if T3 protocol is enabled and the port is listening on the network
  3. Verify if IIOP protocol listener is enabled
    In the WebLogic Administration Console, navigate to 'Servers' > 'your_server' > 'Protocols' > 'IIOP'. Alternatively, inspect the config.xml file for <iiop-enabled>true</iiop-enabled> entries. You can also use netstat to check if port 7002 (default IIOP) is listening.
    Affected if IIOP protocol is enabled and the port is listening on the network
  4. Confirm network exposure of T3/IIOP listeners
    Review the network configuration to determine if the T3 or IIOP listeners are bound to external network interfaces (0.0.0.0) rather than localhost only. Check the Listen Address setting in the server configuration.
    Affected if T3 or IIOP listeners are accessible from external/network-facing IP addresses

Your environment is affected if you are running WebLogic Server version 12.2.1.4.0 or 14.1.1.0.0 with T3 or IIOP protocols enabled and exposed on the network.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply Oracle Critical Patch Update immediately to the affected WebLogic versions and consider restricting or disabling T3/IIOP network listeners if not required for business operations.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Apply Oracle Critical Patch Update April 2025 (or later CPU containing the fix for CVE-2025-21535)

  1. Check Oracle Critical Patch Update advisories at oracle.com for CVE-2025-21535 to obtain the specific patch identifier
  2. Apply the April 2025 Critical Patch Update (or subsequent CPU containing this fix) to Oracle WebLogic Server
  3. If T3 and IIOP protocols are not required for business functionality, disable them to reduce attack surface by modifying the WebLogic Server startup scripts or config
  4. After patching, verify the fix by checking that the WebLogic Server version reflects the patched level
  5. Restart WebLogic Server services as required by the patch installation
Caveat Review release notes for the CPU to check for any regressions affecting custom applications

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

Fix this in Weblogic Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing24.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
56.0 hours of engineering $9,520
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $15,232.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-21535 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2025-21535 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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