CVE-2015-4852
The WLS Security component in Oracle WebLogic Server 10.3.6.0, 12.1.2.0, 12.1.3.0, and 12.2.1.0 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands via a crafted serialized Java object in T3 protocol traffic to TCP port 7001, related to oracle_common/modules/com.bea.core.apache.commons.collections.jar. NOTE: the scope of this CVE is limited to the WebLogic Server product.
- CVSS
- 9.8Criticalscored by CISA
- Exploited in the wild
- Yes, in CISA KEV since 3 Nov 2021CISA deadline for US federal agencies: 3 May 2022public exploit code
- EPSS
- 95.0%chance of exploitation in the next 30 daystop 0.2% of scored CVEsFIRST score of 11 Nov 2026
- Fix
- Patch availablesee the advisories in the references
- Published
- 18 Nov 2015analysed here 12 Nov 2026
Do first. Apply updates per vendor instructions. (CISA's required action for this KEV entry)
Summary
Triage
The summary, impact and action text on this page are written by our AI analysis pipeline, or taken from the NVD description when a CVE was imported from NVD. They are not the vendor's wording: check them against the sources. A longer AI executive summary and technical analysis are generated for signed-in accounts on the Max plan.
Affected products
Products named in our analysis
- oracle:virtual_desktop_infrastructure
- oracle:storagetek_tape_analytics_sw_tool
- oracle:weblogic_server
Fix and mitigation
WAF and other mitigations
Can a WAF block it? Partly. Google Cloud Armor publishes WAF rules written for this CVE. Such rules block the known exploit requests and buy time, but attackers can change the request to get past them, so they do not replace the patch.
Also consider: patch · enable the vendor rule in block mode · allow-list classes
Based on WAF vendor rules published for this CVE. We check Cloudflare, AWS, Google Cloud Armor and Azure; for Akamai, Imperva, Fastly, F5, ask your vendor.
Remediation steps (AI-written)
Step-by-step remediation is generated for accounts on the Max plan, for CVEs that match a technology in their stack. Add this technology to your stack to see the fix checklist.
Exploitation evidence
- CISA KEV catalog
- Listed since 3 Nov 2021.
- CISA due date
- 3 May 2022, the remediation deadline for US federal agencies
- CISA required action
- Apply updates per vendor instructions.
- Public exploit code
- Yes: 3 on Exploit-DB · 1 Metasploit module · 4 GitHub proofs of concept
- CISA SSVC
- exploitation active, automatable yes, technical impact totalAssessed by CISA 4 Feb 2025 (SSVC 2.0.3). Exploitation is none, poc (public proof of concept) or active.
Exploit-DB
- Oracle Weblogic Server Deserialization RCE - Raw Object (Metasploit)remote, 28 Mar 2019, verified by Exploit-DB
- Oracle WebLogic Server 10.3.6.0 - Java Deserialization Remote Code Executionremote, 27 Sept 2017
- Websphere/JBoss/OpenNMS/Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager - Java Deserialization Remote Code Executionremote, 20 Jul 2016
Metasploit
- exploit/multi/misc/weblogic_deserialize_rawobjectexploit, rank excellent
GitHub proofs of concept
- roo7break/serialator31 stars
- zhzhdoai/Weblogic_Vuln17 stars
- AndersonSingh/serialization-vulnerability-scanner2 stars
- nex1less/CVE-2015-48521 stars
Listed so you can judge urgency, not as a recommendation to run anything. GitHub “proofs of concept” are unvetted: some are fake or carry malware. Exploit-DB marks the entries its staff verified.
Timeline
- 18 Nov 2015Published
- 3 Mar 2016First public exploit or proof of concept105 days (about 4 months) later
- 3 Nov 2021Added to CISA KEV (exploited in the wild)2,071 days (about 6 years) later
- 3 May 2022CISA remediation due date (US federal agencies)181 days (about 6 months) later
- 4 Feb 2025CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation active1,009 days (about 3 years) later
- 21 Oct 2025CVE record last updated259 days (about 9 months) later
- 12 Nov 2026Analysed by vulneraibility.com387 days (about 1 year) later
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
| Metric | Value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Attack vector | NetworkReachable over the internet or any routable network. | Reachable over the internet or any routable network. |
| Attack complexity | LowRepeatable attack, no special conditions. | Repeatable attack, no special conditions. |
| Privileges required | NoneThe attacker needs no prior access. | The attacker needs no prior access. |
| User interaction | NoneNo victim action needed. | No victim action needed. |
| Scope | UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component. | Impact stays within the vulnerable component. |
| Confidentiality | HighTotal data disclosure possible. | Total data disclosure possible. |
| Integrity | HighComplete modification possible. | Complete modification possible. |
| Availability | HighFull outage possible. | Full outage possible. |
Common questions
Is CVE-2015-4852 being exploited?
Yes. CVE-2015-4852 appears in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which means exploitation in the wild has been confirmed and reported. Treat it as active rather than theoretical, and patch it ahead of higher-scoring vulnerabilities that carry no exploitation evidence.
How severe is CVE-2015-4852?
CVE-2015-4852 is rated Critical with a CVSS score of 9.8. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.
Is there a patch for CVE-2015-4852?
Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2015-4852. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.
What does CVE-2015-4852 affect?
CVE-2015-4852 affects oracle:virtual_desktop_infrastructure, oracle:storagetek_tape_analytics_sw_tool, oracle:weblogic_server. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
References
16 references in the CVE record, grouped by the tags the record gives them.
Exploits (2)
- exploit-db.com /exploits/42806/
- exploit-db.com /exploits/46628/
Other links (14)
- oracle.com /technetwork/security-advisory/cpujan2018-3236628.html
- oracle.com /technetwork/security-advisory/cpuapr2017-3236618.html
- oracle.com /technetwork/topics/security/cpujan2016-2367955.html
- oracle.com /technetwork/security-advisory/cpuoct2016-2881722.html
- github.com /foxglovesec/JavaUnserializeExploits/blob/master/weblogic.py
- oracle.com /technetwork/security-advisory/cpuoct2017-3236626.html
Show 8 more
- blogs.oracle.com /security/entry/security_alert_cve_2015_4852
- securitytracker.com /id/1038292
- securityfocus.com /bid/77539
- oracle.com /technetwork/topics/security/alert-cve-2015-4852-2763333.html
- openwall.com /lists/oss-security/2015/11/17/19
- foxglovesecurity.com /2015/11/06/what-do-weblogic-websphere-jboss-jenkins-opennms-and-your-applicatio
- packetstormsecurity.com /files/152268/Oracle-Weblogic-Server-Deserialization-Remote-Code-Execution.html
- cisa.gov /known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2015-4852
Where the data on this page comes from
- CVE List (CVE.org): description, affected versions, references; CVE Terms of Use
- NVD: CVSS and CPE data
- CISA KEV catalog: exploitation, date added, due date
- CISA Vulnrichment (ADP): SSVC decision points
- FIRST EPSS: exploit probability and percentile
- Exploit-DB: published exploits
- Metasploit Framework: exploit and scanner modules
- PoC-in-GitHub: GitHub repositories that claim a proof of concept
Summary, impact and triage tags: written by our AI analysis pipeline from the sources above. Check them against the sources.
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