CVE-2008-5350 in SDKJDK
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in Java Runtime Environment (JRE) for Sun JDK and JRE 6 Update 10 and earlier; JDK and JRE 5.0 Update 16 and earlier; and SDK and JRE 1.4.2_18 and earlier allows untrusted applications and applets to list the contents of the operating user s directory via unknown vectors.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/21/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2008-5350 represents a critical security flaw within the Java Runtime Environment that affects multiple versions of Sun's JDK and JRE implementations. This issue specifically impacts Java versions 6 Update 10 and earlier, 5.0 Update 16 and earlier, and 1.4.2_18 and earlier across both SDK and JRE distributions. The vulnerability manifests as an information disclosure weakness that enables untrusted applications and applets to enumerate directory contents of the operating user's environment through unspecified attack vectors. This represents a significant breach in Java's security model as it allows malicious code to bypass normal access controls and gain unauthorized visibility into user directory structures.
The technical flaw underlying this vulnerability stems from inadequate access control mechanisms within the Java security framework. When applications or applets execute within the JRE environment, they should be subject to strict sandboxing policies that prevent them from accessing unauthorized system resources. However, this vulnerability creates a pathway for untrusted code to circumvent these security boundaries and perform directory listing operations on the user's filesystem. The unspecified vectors suggest that the flaw could potentially be exploited through multiple attack surfaces within the Java runtime architecture, including but not limited to file system APIs, network protocols, or security policy enforcement mechanisms. This weakness directly violates the fundamental principle of least privilege that should govern all security-sensitive operations within a protected execution environment.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure to create potential pathways for more sophisticated attacks. An attacker who can enumerate directory contents can gain valuable intelligence about the target system's structure, user home directories, and potentially identify sensitive files or system configurations. This reconnaissance capability could enable further exploitation attempts such as targeted attacks against specific user files, credential harvesting, or system compromise through privilege escalation vectors. The vulnerability affects all users running affected Java versions, making it particularly dangerous as it requires no specialized knowledge of the target system beyond the ability to execute malicious Java code. The widespread adoption of Java across enterprise environments and web applications amplifies the potential impact, as compromised systems could serve as launching points for broader network attacks.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability require immediate remediation through version updates to patched Java implementations. Organizations should prioritize upgrading to Java versions that have addressed this specific flaw, typically those released after the vulnerability disclosure date. System administrators should implement comprehensive patch management procedures to ensure all affected Java installations are updated across the enterprise environment. Additionally, security policies should enforce strict application whitelisting and sandboxing controls to limit the execution of untrusted Java code, particularly within web browsers where applet execution is most common. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-200 (Information Exposure) and represents a failure in access control enforcement that could be addressed through proper security policy implementation and runtime monitoring. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving reconnaissance and privilege escalation through information gathering activities, making it a critical target for defensive security measures including network segmentation and application control policies.