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CriticalCISA KEVExploited in the wildPublic exploit

Oracle Java 7 Security Manager Bypass Remote Code Execution

IdentifiersCVE-2013-0422CWE-264

CVE-2013-0422 is a client-side remote code execution vulnerability in Oracle Java 7 before Update 11. The CVE covers multiple flaws that can be used to escape the Java sandbox in untrusted applet or Java Web Start contexts. The published details describe two principal vectors: (1) abuse of the public getMBeanInstantiator method in JmxMBeanServer to obtain a reference to a private MBeanInstantiator object and then use its findClass method to retrieve arbitrary Class references, and (2) misuse of the Reflection API with recursion to bypass a security check in java.lang.invoke.MethodHandles.Lookup.checkSecurityManager because sun.reflect.Reflection.getCallerClass does not correctly skip frames associated with the newer reflection API. Successful exploitation allows attacker-supplied Java content delivered via a malicious web page or JNLP/Web Start application to break out of the sandbox and execute arbitrary code on the target system. The vulnerability was exploited in the wild in January 2013 and was incorporated into exploit kits including Blackhole and Nuclear.

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ANALYST BRIEF

Impact, mitigation & remediation

What it means. What to do now. Patch path, mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.

Impact

What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.

An unauthenticated remote attacker can achieve full compromise of a vulnerable client system when the target loads malicious Java content in a browser or via Java Web Start. Impact includes arbitrary code execution outside the Java sandbox with the privileges of the logged-in user, enabling malware installation, data theft, persistence, and follow-on activity. Oracle and related advisories characterize the issue as capable of complete confidentiality, integrity, and availability compromise in typical client deployments, and exploitation in the wild was reported prior to broad patch adoption.

Mitigation

If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.

Until patching is completed, prevent execution of untrusted Java applets and Java Web Start applications. Effective mitigations in the provided advisories include disabling Java in browsers, enforcing the Java Security Level to High so unsigned content prompts before execution, and avoiding exposure to untrusted or malicious web pages. Additional temporary exposure reduction can include restricting required network protocols and limiting access to affected packages from unprivileged users, with the caveat that such workarounds may break application functionality and are not a long-term substitute for patching.

Remediation

Patch, then assume compromise.

Upgrade Oracle Java to a fixed release. The provided context states the issue affects Oracle Java 7 before Update 11 and that Oracle issued a Security Alert followed by the February 2013 Java SE Critical Patch Update with additional fixes. In practice, affected systems should be moved to the latest supported Oracle Java release available from Oracle, rather than remaining on Java 7u10 or earlier. Unsupported or de-supported Java branches should be upgraded to a currently supported version to obtain security fixes.
PUBLIC EXPLOITS

Exploits

No public exploits tracked yet. Mallory keeps watching.

VALID 0 / 0 TOTALView more in app

No public exploit code observed for this vulnerability.

EXPOSURE SURFACE

Affected products & vendors

Products and vendors Mallory has correlated with this vulnerability. Open in Mallory to drill down to specific CPE configurations and version ranges.

VendorProductType
CanonicalUbuntu Linuxapplication
OpensuseOpensuseoperating_system
OracleJava Se Jdkapplication
OracleJava Se Jreapplication
OracleJdkapplication
OracleJreapplication

Vendor-confirmed product mapping. Mallory continuously reconciles this list against your asset inventory.

What this page doesn’t show

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Exposure mapping

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Threat actor evidence

Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.

Associated malware5

Malware families riding this exploit, with evidence and IOCs.

Detection signatures1

YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.

Vendor-by-vendor mapping

Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.

Social activity1

Community discussion across Reddit, Mastodon, and other social sources.