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CVE-2019-4279· NVD / CVE Program· CNA ibm

IBM WebSphere Application Server 8.5 and 9.0 could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the system with a specially-crafted

Noroxi assessment

Priority: This week (action score 63/100)

  • A ready-made attack module is public (Metasploit); exploiting it takes no special expertise.
  • Public proof-of-concept code exists (Exploit-DB); there is no record of exploitation in the wild.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 79.9% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 99.6% of all records.
  • 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.
  • According to the record, no fixed version is available yet.

Don’t wait for the next maintenance window. Until a fix is released, restrict access to the affected component and follow the vendor's advisory.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

IBM WebSphere Application Server 8.5 and 9.0 could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the system with a specially-crafted sequence of serialized objects from untrusted sources. IBM X-Force ID: 160445.

CriticalCVSS 9.8 · v3.1—Weaponized No fix recorded
Published
May 17, 2019
Updated
Jun 16, 2026
EPSS
79.9% · 99th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

63

This week

Don’t wait for the next maintenance window.

CVSS
39 / 40 · 9.8 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
24 / 30 · 79.9%

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
9.8
CNA · ibm
9.0
0.8 point gap

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

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

Get told when this record changes

  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • Weaponized exploit exists
  • No fixed version yet

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

Follow CVE-2019-4279

When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

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 server8.5.0.0 and later · up to 8.5.5.15 inclusive
  • ibm websphere application server9.0.0.0 and later · up to 9.0.0.11 inclusive
  • ibm websphere application server7.0.0.0

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

    • 8.5, 9.0affected

Same product

ibm: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • 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

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2019-4046Mar 25, 2019 · IBM WebSphere Application Server 7.0, 8.0, 8.5, and 9.0 is vulnerable to a denial of service, caused by improper handling of request headers
    31Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2019-4080Apr 2, 2019 · IBM WebSphere Application Server Admin Console 7.5, 8.0, 8.5, and 9.0 is vulnerable to a potential denial of service, caused by improper par
    27Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2019-4269Jun 28, 2019 · IBM WebSphere Application Server 7.0, 8.0, 8.5, and 9.0 Admin Console could allow a remote attacker to obtain sensitive information when a s
    31Monitor

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

Weaponized

A ready exploit tool or active in-the-wild use is known for this vulnerability. This should be your top priority.

Evidence

  • Metasploit module ×1
  • Exploit-DB entry ×1

Noroxi does not host or link to exploit code. Metasploit module names and Nuclei template ids are shown (names, not code); Exploit-DB entries and PoC repositories are given as counts only.

Public exploit evidence
SourceKindDate
Exploit-DB entryremote2019-06-05
Metasploit moduleexploit/windows/ibm/ibm_was_dmgr_java_deserialization_rceIBM Websphere Application Server Network Deployment Untrusted Data Deserialization Remote Code Executionexploit2019-05-15

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.

  1. Metasploit-3 d
  2. Published
  3. First PoC+18 d
  4. TodayOct 19, 2026+2712 d
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:3.1/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

—

Change log

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

References

Show all references (2 more)

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

All records