CVE-2008-1187 in Java JRE
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in Sun Java Runtime Environment (JRE) and JDK 6 Update 4 and earlier, 5.0 Update 14 and earlier, and SDK/JRE 1.4.2_16 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (JRE crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via unknown vectors related to XSLT transforms.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/06/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2008-1187 represents a critical security flaw within the Sun Java Runtime Environment and JDK versions prior to specific update releases. This issue affects multiple Java versions including jdk 6 update 4 and earlier, jdk 5.0 update 14 and earlier, as well as sdk/jre 1.4.2_16 and earlier versions. The vulnerability specifically relates to XSLT transforms processing within the Java environment, creating a potential attack surface that could be exploited by remote adversaries. The unspecified nature of the exact attack vectors makes this vulnerability particularly concerning as it could encompass multiple exploitation techniques that were not fully documented at the time of disclosure.
The technical flaw manifests in the handling of XSLT (Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations) within the Java runtime environment. XSLT transforms are used to convert XML documents into other formats, typically HTML or other XML structures. When processing certain malformed or specially crafted XSLT documents, the Java runtime environment fails to properly validate inputs, leading to memory corruption or unexpected behavior. This flaw falls under the category of memory safety issues and can be categorized as a CWE-125 vulnerability, which represents an out-of-bounds read condition. The vulnerability specifically impacts the Java XML processing libraries that handle XSLT transformations, where improper bounds checking or input validation leads to unstable application behavior.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it enables remote attackers to cause denial of service conditions through JRE crashes, effectively rendering affected systems unavailable to legitimate users. Beyond simple denial of service, the vulnerability potentially allows for arbitrary code execution, making it a severe security concern for any system running vulnerable Java versions. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to execute malicious code on target systems, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The remote nature of the attack means that adversaries do not need physical access to the target system, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in networked environments. Organizations running affected Java versions face the risk of unauthorized access, data breaches, and complete system takeover if exploited successfully.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2008-1187 should prioritize immediate patching of affected Java installations with the latest security updates from Oracle. System administrators should implement network segmentation to limit exposure of vulnerable Java applications and consider disabling XSLT processing where possible. Additionally, implementing proper input validation and sanitization for XML processing can help reduce the attack surface. The vulnerability's classification under the ATT&CK framework would place it within the T1059.007 technique category for application layer execution, while also relating to T1499.004 for network denial of service. Organizations should also consider deploying intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious XSLT processing activity and maintain comprehensive incident response procedures for potential exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in other Java components and applications.