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CVE-2018-1904· NVD / CVE Program· CNA ibm

IBM WebSphere Application Server 7.0, 8.0, 8.5, and 9.0 could allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary Java code through an administrativ

IBM WebSphere Application Server 7.0, 8.0, 8.5, and 9.0 could allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary Java code through an administrative client class with a serialized object from untrusted sources. IBM X-Force ID: 152533.

CriticalCVSS 9.8 · v3.0—No exploit No fix recorded
Published
Dec 11, 2018
Updated
Jun 16, 2026
EPSS
3.7% · 89th percentile
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Report tools

JSON

Action score

40

Plan

Add it to your regular patch cycle.

CVSS
39 / 40 · 9.8 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
1 / 30 · 3.7%

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
9.8
CNA · ibm
8.1
1.7 point gap

CVSS:3.0/A:H/AC:H/AV:N/C:H/I:H/PR:N/S:U/UI:N/E:U/RC:C/RL:O

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

Affected systems

VendorProduct
ibmwebsphere application server

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • ibm websphere application server7.0.0.0 and later · up to 7.0.0.45 inclusive
  • ibm websphere application server8.0.0.0 and later · up to 8.0.0.15 inclusive
  • ibm websphere application server8.5.0.0 and later · up to 8.5.5.14 inclusive
  • ibm websphere application server9.0.0.0 and later · up to 9.0.0.9 inclusive

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (ibm). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • IBM WebSphere Application Server

    • 7.0, 8.0, 8.5, 9.0affected

Same product

ibm: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2019-4279IBM WebSphere Application Server 8.5 and 9.0 could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the system with a specially-crafted
    63This week
  • CVE-2020-4450IBM WebSphere Application Server 8.5 and 9.0 traditional could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the system with a specia
    49Plan
  • CVE-2025-36038IBM WebSphere Application Server code execution
    43Plan
  • CVE-2020-4448IBM WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment 7.0, 8.0, 8.5, and 9.0 could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the sy
    43Plan
  • CVE-2020-4589IBM WebSphere Application Server 7.0, 8.0, 8.5, and 9.0 could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the system with a special
    42Plan
  • CVE-2015-1920IBM WebSphere Application Server (WAS) 6.1 through 6.1.0.47, 7.0 before 7.0.0.39, 8.0 before 8.0.0.11, and 8.5 before 8.5.5.6 allows remote
    42Plan

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

No fix version is recorded for this entry. Check the references for vendor advisories.

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

No nightly-computed relations.

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

The product’s vendor appears in a public program. Matched by name; verify the scope text in the program.

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
  • No account or password is required.
  • No user action is required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
high · data can be read
Integrity
high · data or configuration can be modified
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted
Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
High
Integrity impact
High
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-502 · Deserialization of Untrusted Data

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

nvd-primary

Root cause

Data received over the network is deserialized into the language’s native object format without verifying its source. Code paths inside the object can be triggered during deserialization.

The bug in code

The whole CWE-502 class

A representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.

Vulnerable

python
payload = sock.recv(65536)job = pickle.loads(payload)

Fixed

python
payload = sock.recv(65536)if not hmac.compare_digest(sign(payload), header_sig):    raise PermissionError("invalid signature")job = JobSchema.validate(json.loads(payload))

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

ATT&CK techniques

—

Noroxi analysis

No Noroxi analysis for this record yet

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Change log

No changes recorded on tracked fields yet. Score, KEV, exploit maturity and fix status changes appear here.

References

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records