Oracle Audit Vault and Database Firewall (AVDF) 20.18 is now available with important security updates across the AVDF software stack, including Oracle Database, Oracle Linux, Oracle APEX, Oracle REST Data Services, Oracle Java SE, Oracle Autonomous Health Framework, and Oracle GoldenGate. Customers running AVDF 20.17 or any earlier supported release should apply the AVDF 20.18 Release Update immediately.

AVDF is critical security infrastructure for auditing and monitoring activity across databases and the surrounding technology stack. It helps organizations detect suspicious behavior, preserve audit evidence, and support investigations and compliance reporting.

Auditing and monitoring are more important in the AI era

In Prepare Now: Apply the Upcoming Oracle Database Release Update Immediately Upon Availability, Vipin Samar, Senior Vice President, Oracle Database Security, recommended that customers patch not only their databases, but also the technologies that surround and protect them. AVDF was specifically identified as part of the security infrastructure that organizations should keep current.

AVDF is especially critical in the AI era because it provides an independent, centralized view of activity across databases and surrounding systems, helping organizations detect attacks that use valid credentials, move rapidly, and blend into normal operations.

As AI accelerates vulnerability discovery and attacks automation, the window between disclosure and exploitation may keep shrinking. Now, organizations need to do more than patch: they must be able to detect, investigate, and understand activity that bypasses preventive controls or appears to legitimately use authorized identities.

AVDF centralizes and monitors audit data from Oracle and supported non-Oracle databases, operating systems, directory services, file systems, and custom applications. Bringing audit data from these sources into a centralized platform helps organizations reconstruct the sequence of events and identify activity that may not appear suspicious when each source is examined independently.

With AVDF, organizations can answer critical questions:

  • Who accessed sensitive data, and through which account, application, or administrative tool?
  • What data or configuration changed, including before-and-after values where supported and configured?
  • Was the activity isolated, or part of a sequence across databases, operating systems, directories, or file systems?
  • Can the organization preserve reliable evidence to assess impact and determine whether the activity was authorized?

Security and Platform Updates in AVDF 20.18


AVDF 20.18 is a security-focused release that includes significant updates across the AVDF platform.

The release includes Oracle Database Server Release Update 19.32 for the underlying AVDF repository. The applicable CVEs are listed on the Oracle Critical Patch Updates page under the July 2026 Critical Patch Update.

Additional updates in AVDF 20.18 include:

  • Security and stability fixes for underlying components, including Oracle APEX, Oracle REST Data Services, Oracle Java SE, Oracle Autonomous Health Framework, and Oracle GoldenGate.
  • Security fixes for the embedded Oracle Linux 8.10 operating system.
  • Additional platform maintenance, reliability, and stability improvements across the AVDF software stack.

A significant number of CVEs affecting these components have been addressed since AVDF 20.17. For the applicable vulnerabilities, see the Oracle Critical Patch Updates page for July 2026.

For the complete list of changes, enhancements, and resolved issues, see the AVDF 20.18 Release Notes.

Action required: Apply AVDF 20.18 now

All customers running AVDF 20.17 or an earlier supported release should apply the AVDF 20.18 Release Update immediately.

Keeping AVDF up to date is essential for maintaining a secure and reliable foundation for database activity monitoring, threat detection, incident investigation, and compliance. By applying AVDF 20.18, organizations can:

  • Address important security vulnerabilities across the AVDF platform.
  • Improve platform stability and reliability.
  • Maintain visibility into activity across databases and other critical systems.
  • Preserve a trusted audit trail for investigations and compliance reporting.

Prepare for more frequent security updates

AVDF 20.18 is not a one-time security event. As AI shortens the time needed to discover and exploit vulnerabilities, customers should be prepared for an environment in which important security fixes may need to be deployed more frequently and with less notice than in the past.

Incorporate AVDF updates into regular security-patching processes, and keep audit collection, monitoring policies, alerts, reports, and retention requirements aligned with the evolving threat environment.

Plan your transition to Database Security Central

Database Security Central, built on the Oracle Audit Vault and Database Firewall foundation, is coming soon. It will introduce an updated platform with a broader, unified approach to database security, along with expanded capabilities and new features. Support for AVDF 20 ends in May 2027. Customers should begin planning their transition to Database Security Central to take advantage of the new platform and maintain continued product support. For additional information, review the Oracle Lifetime Support Policy for Technology Products. 

To upgrade to Database Security Central, customers must be running AVDF 20.14 or later. Customers on an earlier AVDF 20 release must first update their environment to AVDF 20.14 or a later release update. Applying the AVDF 20.18 update now helps ensure that your environment meets the version requirement. 

Detailed prerequisites and step-by-step upgrade instructions will be provided in the official product documentation when Database Security Central becomes generally available.

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