Quantum Secular Labs / Blog / Advisories

CVE-2013-0401: Oracle JDK: Remote code execution

CVE-2013-0401 has a CVSS v2 base score of 10.0 (the maximum on that scale) and affects Oracle JDK. Per its scoring, it can be exploited over the network, without authentication. The scored impact on confidentiality, integrity and availability is the highest available.

Vulnerability description

The Java Runtime Environment (JRE) component in Oracle Java SE 7 Update 17 and earlier, 6 Update 43 and earlier, and 5.0 Update 41 and earlier; and OpenJDK 6 and 7; allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via vectors related to AWT, as demonstrated by Ben Murphy during a Pwn2Own competition at CanSecWest 2013. NOTE: the previous information is from the April 2013 CPU. Oracle has not commented on claims from another vendor that this issue is related to invocation of the system class loader by the sun.awt.datatransfer.ClassLoaderObjectInputStream class, which allows remote attackers to bypass Java sandbox restrictions.

Severity breakdown

CVSS v2.0 10.0: AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

  • Access vector: Network. Exploitable remotely over the network.
  • Access complexity: Low. No special conditions are required.
  • Authentication: None. No authentication is needed.
  • Confidentiality impact: Complete. Total information disclosure.
  • Integrity impact: Complete. Total loss of integrity.
  • Availability impact: Complete. Total shutdown of the component.

Underlying weakness

CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code

The product constructs all or part of a code segment using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the syntax or behavior of the intended code segment.

Affected products

  • Oracle JDK: 1.7.0 update17
  • Oracle JRE: 1.7.0 update17

References