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CVE-2020-14841

9.8 CRITICAL
Remote Code Execution

📋 TL;DR

CVE-2020-14841 is a critical vulnerability in Oracle WebLogic Server that allows unauthenticated attackers to remotely execute arbitrary code via the IIOP protocol. This affects multiple supported versions of WebLogic Server and can lead to complete server compromise. Attackers can gain full control over affected systems without any authentication.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:
  • Oracle WebLogic Server
Versions: 10.3.6.0.0, 12.1.3.0.0, 12.2.1.3.0, 12.2.1.4.0, 14.1.1.0.0
Operating Systems: All platforms running affected WebLogic versions
Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes
Notes: Vulnerability exists in the Core component and affects all default configurations with IIOP enabled.

📦 What is this software?

Weblogic Server by Oracle

View all CVEs affecting Weblogic Server →

Weblogic Server by Oracle

View all CVEs affecting Weblogic Server →

Weblogic Server by Oracle

View all CVEs affecting Weblogic Server →

Weblogic Server by Oracle

View all CVEs affecting Weblogic Server →

Weblogic Server by Oracle

View all CVEs affecting Weblogic Server →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete takeover of WebLogic Server with full administrative access, allowing attackers to steal sensitive data, deploy malware, pivot to other systems, and cause permanent system damage.

🟠

Likely Case

Remote code execution leading to web shell deployment, credential theft, cryptocurrency mining, or ransomware deployment on vulnerable servers.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact if proper network segmentation, firewalls, and intrusion detection systems are in place to block IIOP traffic from untrusted sources.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH - Internet-facing WebLogic servers are immediately vulnerable to unauthenticated remote attacks with CVSS 9.8 score.
🏢 Internal Only: HIGH - Even internal servers are at high risk due to unauthenticated exploitation via network access.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ⚠️ Yes
Weaponized: CONFIRMED
Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes
Complexity: LOW

Multiple proof-of-concept exploits are publicly available. The vulnerability is easily exploitable with no authentication required.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Apply patches from Oracle Critical Patch Update October 2020

Vendor Advisory: https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2020.html

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Download appropriate patches from Oracle Support. 2. Apply patches according to Oracle documentation. 3. Restart WebLogic Server instances. 4. Verify patch application.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Block IIOP Traffic

all

Block Internet Inter-ORB Protocol (IIOP) traffic at network perimeter or host firewall

iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 7001 -j DROP
netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="Block IIOP" dir=in action=block protocol=TCP localport=7001

Disable IIOP Protocol

all

Disable IIOP protocol in WebLogic Server configuration

Modify config.xml to set EnableIIOP=false
Use WebLogic Console to disable IIOP under Servers > [Server Name] > Protocols

🧯 If You Can't Patch

  • Immediately isolate affected servers from internet and restrict network access
  • Implement strict network segmentation and monitor for IIOP traffic anomalies

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check WebLogic version via console or command: java weblogic.version

Check Version:

java weblogic.version

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify patch application through Oracle OPatch utility: opatch lsinventory

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

  • Unusual IIOP connection attempts
  • Unexpected Java process execution
  • WebLogic server restart anomalies

Network Indicators:

  • IIOP traffic to WebLogic ports (typically 7001)
  • Unusual outbound connections from WebLogic servers

SIEM Query:

source="weblogic.log" AND ("IIOP" OR "CORBA") AND ("error" OR "exception" OR "malformed")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2020-14841
CVSS v3 Score: 9.8 (CRITICAL)
CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Published: October 21, 2020
Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

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