Listen to this Post
CVE-2026-60397 is a vulnerability in the Oracle GoldenGate Admin Server Executable, affecting versions 19.1.0.0.0 through 19.30.0.0, 21.3 through 21.21, and 23.4 through 23.26.1. The Admin Server Executable is the central management component responsible for administering GoldenGate deployments, handling configuration requests, and managing process lifecycles. The flaw resides in how this component processes incoming requests from the adjacent network segment—the physical communication layer attached to the hardware where GoldenGate runs.
The vulnerability is classified as easily exploitable because it requires no authentication and no user interaction. An attacker with access to the same physical network segment (e.g., same switch, VLAN, or broadcast domain) can send specially crafted input to the Admin Server Executable without needing any valid credentials. The core issue is a missing boundary check on resource consumption when parsing or processing these unauthenticated requests. The Admin Server Executable does not properly validate the size, frequency, or structure of incoming data, allowing an attacker to gradually exhaust the process’s available memory, CPU cycles, or thread pools.
As the attacker continuously sends malformed or oversized requests, the Admin Server process begins to consume disproportionate system resources. This resource starvation eventually leads to a partial denial of service—the Admin Server may become unresponsive, fail to process legitimate administrative commands, or cause intermittent disruptions in data replication services. However, the vulnerability does not allow the attacker to read or modify any data (confidentiality and integrity are unaffected), and the DoS is only partial, meaning the GoldenGate engine may continue operating with degraded performance rather than crashing completely.
The CVSS 3.1 Base Score is 4.3 (Medium) with the vector AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L. The attack vector is Adjacent Network (AV:A), meaning the attacker must be on the same physical or logical network segment. The attack complexity is Low (AC:L), privileges required are None (PR:N), and user interaction is None (UI:N). The scope is Unchanged (S:U), with no impact on confidentiality or integrity, and Low impact on availability (A:L). The vulnerability was published on July 21, 2026, as part of Oracle’s July 2026 Critical Patch Update (CPU), which addresses 1,449 vulnerabilities across 28 product families. No public exploits have been observed, and the EPSS score is below 1%, indicating a low likelihood of active exploitation.
DailyCVE Form:
Platform: Oracle GoldenGate
Version: Multiple affected versions
Vulnerability: Unauthenticated DoS (Admin)
Severity: Medium (CVSS 4.3)
Date: 2026-07-21
Prediction: July 2026 CPU
What Undercode Say:
The following bash commands can be used to check the installed GoldenGate version and monitor the Admin Server process for signs of resource exhaustion.
Check GoldenGate version from the installation directory
$GG_HOME/ggsci <<< "VERSION"
Alternative: query the Admin Server directly (if accessible)
curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" http://<goldengate-host>:<admin-port>/version
Monitor Admin Server process resource usage
while true; do
ps aux | grep "[bash]dminServer" | awk '{print $2, $3, $4, $11}'
sleep 5
done
Check for abnormal log entries indicating resource exhaustion
tail -f $GG_HOME/ggserr.log | grep -i "resource|exhaust|denial|timeout"
Simple netcat probe to test service responsiveness (for authorized testing only)
echo "GET / HTTP/1.0" | nc -v -w 2 <goldengate-host> <admin-port>
To detect potential exploitation attempts, monitor network traffic on the Admin Server port (default 9010 or 443 for HTTPS) for unusual patterns:
Capture packets to the Admin Server port
tcpdump -i any port <admin-port> -nn -c 100
Count connections per source IP
netstat -an | grep <admin-port> | grep ESTABLISHED | awk '{print $5}' | cut -d: -f1 | sort | uniq -c | sort -nr
Exploit:
An attacker with access to the same physical network segment can exploit this vulnerability by sending a high volume of malformed or oversized requests to the Admin Server Executable on the adjacent network. The attacker does not need credentials or user interaction. A simple script can be used to flood the Admin Server with HTTP requests containing excessively long headers or malformed JSON payloads, causing the process to consume available memory and CPU until it becomes partially unresponsive. For example:
Flood the Admin Server with large payloads (conceptual - for authorized testing only)
while true; do
curl -X POST http://<target>:<port>/admin/endpoint \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d "$(python -c "print('{' + 'A'1000000 + '}')")" \
--max-time 1 --output /dev/null 2>&1
done
This attack gradually degrades the Admin Server’s ability to handle legitimate requests, resulting in partial denial of service for administrative functions and potential interruptions to GoldenGate replication workflows.
Protection:
- Apply the Oracle July 2026 Critical Patch Update (CPU) immediately to all affected GoldenGate versions. The fix adds resource usage validation and anomalous request interception in the Admin Server Executable’s request processing path.
- Restrict physical and network access to the communication segment where GoldenGate servers are deployed. Use VLAN segmentation and firewall rules to limit adjacent network exposure.
- Implement network access control lists (ACLs) to allow only trusted IP addresses to communicate with the Admin Server port.
- Enable comprehensive logging and monitoring of GoldenGate process health. Set up alerts for abnormal CPU/memory usage patterns or unexpected process restarts.
- Consider deploying redundant GoldenGate instances or failover strategies to maintain availability during partial service disruptions.
- If immediate patching is not possible, isolate the Admin Server interface from untrusted network segments and enforce strict ingress filtering.
Impact:
Successful exploitation of CVE-2026-60397 results in a partial denial of service of the Oracle GoldenGate Admin Server. The attacker can cause the Admin Server process to become unresponsive or slow, preventing administrators from issuing commands, monitoring replication status, or making configuration changes. While data replication itself may continue to function, the loss of administrative control can lead to operational delays, increased mean time to recovery (MTTR), and potential cascading failures if the Admin Server is relied upon for health checks or automated failover decisions. The vulnerability does not compromise data confidentiality or integrity, and the partial DoS nature limits the overall severity. However, in environments where GoldenGate is critical for real-time data synchronization, even a partial outage can have significant business impact.
🎯Let’s Practice Exploiting & Learn Patching For Free:
🎓 Live Courses & Certifications:
Join Undercode Academy for Verified Certifications
🚀 Request a Custom Project:
Secure, high-velocity infrastructure and disruptive technological engineering. Contact our engineering team for high-tier development and proprietary systems:
[email protected]
💎 Smart Architecture | 🛡️ Secure by Design | ⭐ Trusted by Thousands
Sources:
Reported By: nvd.nist.gov
Extra Source Hub:
Undercode
