CVE-2016-5983 in WebSphere
Summary
by MITRE
IBM WebSphere Application Server (WAS) 7.0 before 7.0.0.43, 8.0 before 8.0.0.13, 8.5 before 8.5.5.11, 9.0 before 9.0.0.2, and Liberty before 16.0.0.4 allows remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary Java code via a crafted serialized object.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/07/2019
IBM WebSphere Application Server represents a critical enterprise middleware platform that serves as the foundation for numerous business applications across various industries. The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-5983 specifically targets the deserialization functionality within multiple versions of this application server, creating a severe security risk that affects organizations relying on these platforms for their operational infrastructure. This flaw exists in versions 7.0 before 7.0.0.43, 8.0 before 8.0.0.13, 8.5 before 8.5.5.11, 9.0 before 9.0.0.2, and Liberty before 16.0.0.4, indicating a widespread impact across multiple release lines of the software.
The technical flaw stems from insufficient validation of serialized objects during the deserialization process within the WebSphere Application Server implementation. When authenticated users send specially crafted serialized Java objects to the server, the application fails to properly validate the contents of these objects before attempting to deserialize them. This vulnerability maps directly to CWE-502, which describes "Deserialization of Untrusted Data" as a critical weakness in software security. The flaw allows attackers to manipulate the deserialization process to execute arbitrary Java code on the target system, effectively bypassing traditional security controls and gaining unauthorized access to the server's execution environment.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple code execution, as it provides attackers with the capability to escalate privileges and potentially compromise entire application environments. Remote authenticated users can leverage this vulnerability to gain full control over the WebSphere Application Server instances, enabling them to access sensitive data, modify application behavior, or even establish persistent backdoors within the enterprise network. The attack vector requires only authentication to the application server, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by malicious insiders or compromised legitimate users. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1059.007 for "Command and Scripting Interpreter: Java" and T1078 for "Valid Accounts" as it exploits authenticated access to execute malicious code.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigation strategies to protect their infrastructure. The primary remediation involves applying the official security patches released by IBM for each affected version, which address the deserialization validation issues through proper input sanitization and object validation mechanisms. Additionally, network segmentation should be implemented to limit access to WebSphere Application Server instances, and authentication controls should be strengthened through multi-factor authentication. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual deserialization patterns, and application firewalls can be deployed to filter malicious serialized objects before they reach the application server. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of secure coding practices and proper input validation, particularly in enterprise middleware platforms where the consequences of security breaches can be catastrophic to business operations and data integrity.