CVE-2006-1352 in WebLogic Server
Summary
by MITRE
BEA WebLogic Server and WebLogic Express 8.1 SP4 and earlier, 7.0 SP6 and earlier, and WebLogic Server 6.1 SP7 and earlier allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory exhaustion) via crafted non-canonicalized XML documents.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/22/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2006-1352 represents a critical denial of service weakness affecting BEA WebLogic Server and WebLogic Express versions prior to specific service pack releases. This issue stems from the server's inadequate handling of XML processing, specifically when encountering non-canonicalized XML documents that exploit memory allocation patterns within the application server's XML parser implementation. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and can be exploited remotely without authentication requirements, making it particularly dangerous in production environments where availability is paramount.
The technical flaw manifests when the WebLogic server processes XML documents that contain non-canonicalized elements, which causes the XML parser to allocate excessive memory resources during parsing operations. This memory exhaustion occurs because the parser fails to properly validate or normalize XML input before processing, leading to uncontrolled memory consumption that can eventually crash the application server or render it unresponsive to legitimate requests. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-400 as an uncontrolled resource consumption issue, specifically related to memory exhaustion during XML processing operations. The flaw demonstrates characteristics consistent with resource exhaustion attacks that fall within the ATT&CK framework under the technique T1499.004 for Network Denial of Service.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can affect entire application availability and potentially compromise business continuity for organizations relying on WebLogic Server infrastructure. Attackers can leverage this weakness by crafting malicious XML documents that trigger the memory exhaustion condition, causing the server to consume all available memory resources and become unresponsive to legitimate client requests. This type of denial of service attack can be particularly damaging in enterprise environments where WebLogic servers handle critical business applications and transaction processing. The vulnerability affects multiple versions across the WebLogic Server product line, indicating a widespread issue that required patching across major release branches.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2006-1352 primarily involve applying the appropriate vendor security patches and service packs that address the XML parsing implementation issues. Organizations should upgrade to WebLogic Server versions that include fixes for the memory exhaustion vulnerability in XML processing, typically found in the service pack releases mentioned in the vulnerability description. Additionally, implementing input validation controls and XML schema validation can help reduce the attack surface by filtering out malformed XML documents before they reach the vulnerable parser. Network-level protections such as XML firewall rules and rate limiting can provide additional defense-in-depth measures to prevent exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also underscores the importance of regular security assessments and vulnerability management processes to identify and remediate similar issues in legacy application server environments.