CVE-2007-4381 in JDK
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the font parsing implementation in Sun JDK and JRE 5.0 Update 9 and earlier, and SDK and JRE 1.4.2_14 and earlier, allows remote attackers to perform unauthorized actions via an applet that grants certain privileges to itself.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/03/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-4381 represents a critical security flaw within the font parsing subsystem of sun java development kit and java runtime environment versions prior to specific updates. This issue affects both java 5.0 update 9 and earlier versions as well as java 1.4.2_14 and earlier releases, creating a significant attack surface that could be exploited by remote adversaries. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of font data structures during the parsing process, which creates opportunities for privilege escalation and unauthorized code execution within the java sandbox environment.
The technical nature of this vulnerability lies in the insufficient validation and sanitization of font files processed by the java runtime environment. When java applets attempt to parse maliciously crafted font files, the parsing implementation fails to properly validate input data, allowing attackers to manipulate the execution flow and potentially grant themselves elevated privileges. This flaw operates at the core of java's security model where applets are expected to run within strict sandbox boundaries while maintaining isolation from the underlying system. The vulnerability specifically targets the font handling code path that is commonly used in java applets for rendering text and graphical elements, making it a particularly insidious attack vector that could be triggered through routine font processing operations.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability enables remote attackers to bypass java's security restrictions and execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges. The attack requires only that a victim visit a web page containing a malicious applet that leverages the font parsing flaw to escalate its privileges. This creates a significant risk for organizations relying on java applets for web applications, as the vulnerability could be exploited without user interaction beyond visiting a compromised website. The exploitation could lead to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, and persistent access to affected systems, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where java applets are commonly deployed.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions in software implementations, and demonstrates how improper input validation can lead to privilege escalation attacks. From an attack framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to several ATT&CK techniques including privilege escalation and code injection, where the initial access vector is through web-based exploitation and the subsequent actions involve leveraging the runtime environment to gain elevated privileges. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating to patched versions of java 5.0 update 10 or later and java 1.4.2_15 or later, disabling java applets in web browsers, and implementing network segmentation to limit potential attack surfaces. Additionally, security monitoring should focus on detecting unusual font processing activities and privilege escalation attempts within java runtime environments to identify potential exploitation attempts.