CVE-2009-1107 in JRE
Summary
by MITRE
The Java Plug-in in Java SE Development Kit (JDK) and Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 6 Update 12 and earlier, and 5.0 Update 17 and earlier, allows remote attackers to trick a user into trusting a signed applet via unknown vectors that misrepresent the security warning dialog, related to a "Swing JLabel HTML parsing vulnerability," aka CR 6782871.
If you want to get the best quality for vulnerability data then you always have to consider VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/09/2021
The vulnerability described in CVE-2009-1107 represents a critical security flaw in the Java Plug-in component of Oracle's Java SE platform affecting multiple versions of both JDK and JRE. This issue specifically targets the Swing JLabel HTML parsing functionality within the Java runtime environment, creating a sophisticated social engineering attack vector that exploits user trust in security warnings. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to manipulate the security warning dialog presentation in ways that can deceive users into believing they are interacting with legitimate applications when they are actually executing malicious code.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from improper handling of HTML content within Swing JLabel components, which are commonly used in Java applets for displaying formatted text. When a signed applet attempts to display HTML content through JLabel objects, the parsing mechanism fails to properly validate or sanitize the HTML structure, enabling attackers to craft malicious HTML sequences that can manipulate the visual presentation of security dialogs. This flaw falls under the broader category of user interface deception attacks where the attacker's goal is to make the security warning appear trustworthy or to obscure critical security information from the user.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it directly undermines the fundamental security model of Java applets by allowing attackers to bypass user security decisions. Users who would normally be prompted with clear security warnings about running unsigned or potentially malicious code can be misled into trusting applications that have been crafted to exploit this HTML parsing vulnerability. The attack requires no special privileges or complex exploitation techniques, making it particularly dangerous as it can be executed through standard web browsing activities. This vulnerability specifically affects users who have enabled Java applets in their browsers and have not updated to patched versions of the Java runtime environment.
This vulnerability is classified under CWE-602 as a Client-side Enforcement of Server-side Security, where the security mechanism fails to properly enforce security checks on the client side. The attack pattern aligns with techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under T1211 - Exploitation for Privilege Escalation, where attackers leverage application vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access to system resources. The vulnerability demonstrates how seemingly minor parsing flaws in UI components can have severe security implications when they affect security-critical user interface elements. Organizations running affected Java versions should immediately implement patch management procedures to update to patched versions and consider disabling Java applet execution in web browsers until such updates are deployed.
The remediation approach for this vulnerability involves updating to patched versions of Java SE where Oracle has addressed the HTML parsing issue in Swing JLabel components. System administrators should also consider implementing additional security measures such as disabling Java applet execution in web browsers, implementing network-level controls to restrict access to known malicious domains, and conducting security awareness training to help users recognize potentially deceptive security warnings. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input validation and sanitization in all user interface components, particularly those that interact with user security decisions. Organizations should also review their Java deployment configurations to ensure that only necessary Java applet functionality is enabled and that users are properly educated about the risks associated with executing unsigned code from untrusted sources.