Junglewise Threat Intelligence

CVE-2017-3241: Oracle Java SE untrusted input deserialization in RMI

CVE-2017-3241 · Severity: critical · CVSS 9 · Published 2017-01-27

Technologies: Oracle Java SE, Oracle JRockit, Oracle Java SE Embedded. Vendors: Oracle.

Executive brief

A critical vulnerability exists in the Remote Method Invocation (RMI) component of Oracle Java. This component allows different Java applications to communicate with each other over a network. An attacker could exploit this flaw to take complete control of the affected system, potentially leading to data theft, service disruption, or unauthorized access to corporate resources.

Technical details

This vulnerability is an untrusted input deserialization flaw within the RMI registry and Distributed Garbage Collection (DGC) subcomponents of Oracle Java. An unauthenticated attacker can exploit this by sending specially crafted malicious data over the network to an exposed RMI service. While the vulnerability is considered difficult to exploit, a successful attack results in a complete takeover of the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) and can significantly impact other products relying on the affected Java installation. The vulnerability is specifically exploitable through APIs in the RMI component, such as through web services, but does not affect untrusted Java Web Start applications or applets. Patches were released in the Oracle January 2017 Critical Patch Update.

Affected products

  • Oracle Java SE 6u131, 7u121, 8u112
  • Oracle Java SE Embedded 8u111
  • Oracle JRockit R28.3.12

Timeline

  • 2017-01-19: advisory: Red Hat security advisory issued
  • 2017-01-27: disclosed: NVD publication date

References

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