Summary
CVE–2025–61757 is a critical flaw in Oracle Identity Manager’s REST WebServices that lets attackers bypass authentication and run code remotely over HTTP. Affected versions 12.2.1.4.0 and 14.1.2.1.0 can be fully compromised, allowing control of user accounts and enterprise systems. Patched in Oracle’s October 2025 CPU, it’s actively exploited, so urgent updates are essential.
Urgent Actions Required
- Apply Oracle’s October 2025 CPU immediately for OIM versions 12.2.1.4.0 and 14.1.2.1.0.
- Limit network access to OIM REST and admin endpoints.
- Check logs for suspicious POST requests, especially to endpoints ending with “;.wadl.”
- Hunt for compromise since the flaw was actively exploited before the patch.
Which Systems Are Vulnerable to CVE-2025-61757?
Technical Overview
- Vulnerability Type: Authentication Bypass leading to Remote Code Execution via REST API endpoints (e.g., “;.wadl” suffix)
- Affected Software/Versions:
- Oracle Identity Manager 12.2.1.4.0
- Oracle Identity Manager 14.1.2.1.0
- Attack Vector: Network (HTTP)
- CVSS Score: 9.8
- CVSS Vector: v3.1
- Attack Vector: Network
- Attack Complexity: Low
- Privileges Required: None
- User Interaction: None
- Scope: Unchanged
- Confidentiality Impact: High
- Integrity Impact: High
- Availability Impact: High
- Patch Availability: Yes, available
How Does the CVE-2025-61757 Exploit Work?
The attack typically follows these steps:
What Causes CVE-2025-61757?
Vulnerability Root Cause:
The issue originates from flawed authentication enforcement in Oracle Identity Manager’s REST WebServices layer. Certain REST requests are incorrectly treated as unauthenticated when specific URI suffixes are appended, allowing them to bypass the security filter. This logic error exposes protected REST handlers without requiring credentials, enabling unauthorized access that can be abused to reach high‑privilege functionality and execute code remotely.
How Can You Mitigate CVE-2025-61757?
If immediate patching is delayed or not possible:
- Restrict network access to Oracle Identity Manager using segmentation and strict access controls.
- Limit external and unnecessary internal connectivity to the OIM instance.
- Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to reduce exposure until fixes are applied.
- Closely monitor HTTP access logs for unusual requests targeting administrative REST endpoints.
- Treat the system as potentially compromised until integrity is confirmed through forensic review.
Which Assets and Systems Are at Risk?
Asset Types Affected:
- Identity Management Platforms – Oracle Identity Manager deployments within Oracle Fusion Middleware.
- REST API Interfaces – OIM REST WebServices handling identity governance and administration functions.
Business-Critical Systems at Risk:
- Enterprise Identity Infrastructure – Core identity and access management services controlling users, roles, and privileges.
- Administrative Identity Services – Highprivilege OIM functions that manage access provisioning and governance workflows.
- Integrated Enterprise Systems – Downstream systems connected to OIM that rely on its trust and authorization decisions.
Exposure Level:
- NetworkAccessible OIM Instances – Systems reachable over HTTP where unauthenticated requests can be sent.
- Externally or Broadly Accessible Deployments – Environments without strict access restrictions to OIM REST endpoints.
Will Patching CVE-2025-61757 Cause Downtime?
Patch application impact: Deploying the October 2025 CPU for Identity Manager requires minimal downtime when following standard maintenance procedures.
Mitigation (if immediate patching is not possible): Until the CPU is applied, limit OIM exposure with network restrictions, segmentation, and WAFs; these are temporary and don’t remove the risk.
How Can You Detect CVE-2025-61757 Exploitation?
Exploitation Signatures:
Look for HTTP POST requests targeting Oracle Identity Manager endpoints ending with ;.wadl, especially /iam/governance/applicationmanagement/templates;.wadl and /iam/governance/applicationmanagement/api/v1/applications/groovyscriptstatus;.wadl. Requests using the repeated known user-agent from observed scanning activity and carrying ~556-byte payloads may indicate exploitation attempts.
Indicators of Compromise (IOCs/IOAs):
- POST requests to .wadl endpoints without valid authentication
- Consistent payload length of ~556 bytes
- Access from IPs previously seen scanning OIM or other vulnerabilities (CVE-2025-4581, Log4j probes)
Behavioral Indicators:
- Unauthorized execution of Groovy scripts or annotations at compile time
- Unexpected administrative actions or role/connector changes
- Anomalous access to REST management endpoints from external or untrusted networks
Alerting Strategy:
- Priority: Critical
- Trigger alerts for:
- POST requests to .wadl endpoints with unusual payload length or known scanner user-agent
- Monitor for changes in user roles, new accounts, or unexpected administrative activity on OIM instances
Remediation & Response
Remediation Timeline:
- Immediate (0–2 hrs): Restrict network access to Oracle Identity Manager, enforce segmentation, and apply perimeter controls such as WAFs to limit exposure of REST WebServices.
- Within 8 hrs: Deploy the Oracle Critical Patch Update (CPU) October 2025 for Identity Manager. Downtime impact is minimal.
- Within 24 hrs: Verify all OIM instances are patched and no unpatched endpoints remain accessible.
Rollback Plan:
- If the patch causes issues, follow standard change-management rollback procedures to restore previous stable configurations.
- Document all rollback steps, including date/time, engineer responsible, and version details.
Incident Response Considerations:
- Conduct aggressive threat hunting for anomalous POST requests to .wadl endpoints (e.g., /iam/governance/applicationmanagement/templates;.wadl and /iam/governance/applicationmanagement/api/v1/applications/groovyscriptstatus;.wadl) with ~556-byte payloads or known scanner user-agent.
- Investigate unexpected user role changes, creation of new accounts, or unusual administrative activity.
- Collect and analyze OIM server logs to confirm no prior exploitation occurred.
Compliance & Governance Notes
- Standards Impacted:
- CISA BOD 2201 – Guidance for cloud services and enterprise identity systems
- Audit Trail Requirement:
- Log all POST requests to .wadl endpoints, including timestamp, source IP, target URI, and payload size (~556 bytes).
- Record deployment of Oracle Critical Patch Update (October 2025) for Identity Manager, including date, time, engineer, and affected hosts.
- Maintain revision-controlled records of configuration changes, user role modifications, or new account creation on OIM instances.
- Policy Alignment:
- Update Access Control and IAM policies to restrict exposure of REST WebServices endpoints until patched.
- Revise Incident Response Plan to include CVE202561757 scenarios: detection of .wadl POST requests, isolation of OIM instances, and forensic review.
- Implement monitoring and alerting for anomalous administrative activity and unexpected privilege changes post-exploit attempts.
Where Can I Find More Information on CVE-2025-61757?
CVSS Breakdown Table
| Metric | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 9.8 | Critical severity indicating high impact and exploitability |
| Attack Vector | Network | Exploitable remotely via HTTP; no local access needed |
| Attack Complexity | Low | Exploit is straightforward; no special conditions required |
| Privileges Required | None | No authentication or elevated privileges needed |
| User Interaction | None | Exploitation requires no user action |
| Scope | UnChanged | Impact limited to Oracle Identity Manager; does not extend to unrelated systems |
| Confidentiality Impact | High | Exploit can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive identity and user data |
| Integrity Impact | High | Exploit allows manipulation of user identities, roles, and access controls |
| Availability Impact | High | Full takeover of OIM can disrupt access management and provisioning |
