CVE-2026-11712
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 · uneditedIBM WebSphere Application Server 9.0, and 8.5 is affected by a cross-site scripting vulnerability in the administrative console help system.
In the news
Third-party coverageSurfaced from public web coverage — external links open in a new tab.
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 confidenceIBM WebSphere Application Server versions 8.5 and 9.0 contain a cross-site scripting vulnerability in the administrative console help system, allowing attackers to inject malicious scripts through unsanitized input.
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>= 8.5.0.0, < 8.5.5.31>= 9.0.0.0, < 9.0.5.29CVSS 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
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/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 installed WebSphere Application Server versionRun the versionInfo script in the WAS_HOME/bin directory (./versionInfo.sh on Linux, versionInfo.bat on Windows), or access the About WebSphere Application Server page in the administrative consoleAffected if The reported version falls within 8.5.0.0 to 8.5.5.30 OR 9.0.0.0 to 9.0.5.28
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Confirm administrative console is accessibleCheck if the WebSphere administrative console port (default 9043 for secure, 9060 for unsecure) is listening and responding, or review server.xml for adminConsole configurationAffected if The administrative console is enabled and reachable on the network
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Verify administrative console help system is activeCheck for the presence of the help system EAR file (like pw.help.ear) in the WAS_HOME/installableApps directory or confirm the help web application is deployed in the consoleAffected if The administrative console help system is deployed and accessible alongside the console
You are affected if your installed WebSphere version is 8.5.0.0-8.5.5.30 or 9.0.0.0-9.0.5.28 AND the administrative console with its help system is enabled and accessible.
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 · scoped8.5.5.319.0.5.29
Apply the IBM fix pack/PTF for CVE-2026-11712 or upgrade to a patched version; alternatively, disable the administrative console help system if not required.
WebSphere Application Server 8.5.5.31 or later; WebSphere Application Server 9.0.5.29 or later
- 1. Back up your current WebSphere Application Server configuration and applications
- 2. Download IBM WebSphere Application Server Fix Pack 31 for version 8.5.5 (or later) from IBM Fix Central (https://www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral)
- 3. Alternatively, download Fix Pack 29 for version 9.0.5 (or later) if running version 9.x
- 4. Stop the WebSphere Application Server instance(s)
- 5. Install the fix pack using the IBM Installation Manager or Update Installer following IBM's documentation
- 6. Verify the installation was successful by checking the installed version
- 7. Start the WebSphere Application Server and verify the administrative console is accessible
- 8. Test the application functionality to ensure no regressions
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,616.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-11712 — 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-2026-11712 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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- 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
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