CVE-2023-21964 in WebLogic Server
Summary
by MITRE • 04/18/2023
Vulnerability in the Oracle WebLogic Server product of Oracle Fusion Middleware (component: Core). Supported versions that are affected are 12.2.1.3.0, 12.2.1.4.0 and 14.1.1.0.0. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via T3 to compromise Oracle WebLogic Server. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized ability to cause a hang or frequently repeatable crash (complete DOS) of Oracle WebLogic Server. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 7.5 (Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/11/2023
The CVE-2023-21964 vulnerability represents a critical availability-focused weakness in Oracle WebLogic Server, specifically within the Core component of Oracle Fusion Middleware. This vulnerability affects multiple supported versions including 12.2.1.3.0, 12.2.1.4.0, and 14.1.1.0.0, making it a widespread concern for organizations utilizing this enterprise application server. The vulnerability operates through the T3 protocol, which is Oracle's proprietary protocol for communication between WebLogic Server instances and clients, making it particularly dangerous as it allows attackers to exploit the system without requiring authentication credentials. The CVSS score of 7.5 indicates a high-severity threat with significant impact on system availability, as the vulnerability can lead to complete denial of service conditions that may cause system hangs or repeated crashes.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through network-based attacks that leverage the T3 communication protocol, which is commonly used for administrative operations and cluster communication within WebLogic Server environments. Attackers can send specially crafted T3 protocol requests that trigger memory corruption or resource exhaustion conditions within the server process, ultimately leading to system instability and potential complete system crashes. This vulnerability falls under the CWE category of improper input validation and memory safety issues, specifically relating to buffer overflows or heap corruption scenarios that can be triggered through protocol-level interactions. The lack of authentication requirements for exploitation means that any network-accessible WebLogic Server instance using the T3 protocol is potentially vulnerable, regardless of firewall configurations or access controls.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses severe risks to enterprise infrastructure as it can cause complete service disruption for applications hosted on affected WebLogic Server instances. Organizations relying on WebLogic Server for critical business applications face potential downtime that can span hours or days, depending on the recovery procedures in place. The vulnerability's ability to cause repeated crashes means that even if an initial attack is mitigated, the system may remain unstable and require manual intervention to restore normal operations. The impact extends beyond simple service interruption as it can affect business continuity, customer access to applications, and overall IT operational efficiency. The T3 protocol's use in both administrative and cluster communication means that exploitation could potentially affect entire server clusters rather than isolated instances.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including disabling the T3 protocol entirely if it is not required for operations, as recommended by Oracle and security vendors. Network segmentation and firewall rules should be configured to restrict access to T3 ports (typically 7001) to only trusted administrative networks. Regular patching and updates should be prioritized as Oracle has released patches for this vulnerability, though organizations may need to plan for system downtime during patch deployment. Monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual T3 protocol traffic patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts, and intrusion detection systems should be configured to alert on suspicious protocol interactions. Additionally, organizations should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify all WebLogic Server instances that may be exposed to this vulnerability and ensure that proper access controls are implemented to prevent unauthorized access to administrative interfaces. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under the T1190 technique for exploiting weaknesses in remote services, making it a prime target for automated exploitation tools that scan for vulnerable systems across the internet.