CVE-2011-0807 in GlassFish Server
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in Oracle Sun GlassFish Enterprise Server 2.1, 2.1.1, and 3.0.1, and Sun Java System Application Server 9.1, allows remote attackers to affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability via unknown vectors related to Administration.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/18/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-0807 represents a critical security flaw within Oracle Sun GlassFish Enterprise Server versions 2.1, 2.1.1, and 3.0.1, as well as Sun Java System Application Server 9.1, specifically affecting the administration components of these application servers. This unspecified vulnerability resides within the administrative interface functionality that governs server management and configuration operations, creating a potential attack surface that could be exploited by remote adversaries without requiring authentication credentials. The affected systems operate under the assumption that administrative functions are properly secured, but this vulnerability demonstrates a fundamental weakness in the access control mechanisms that protect sensitive administrative operations. The unspecified nature of the exact vector means that attackers could potentially exploit multiple pathways within the administration subsystem, including but not limited to command injection, privilege escalation, or information disclosure mechanisms that are typically restricted to authorized administrators only.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and access control mechanisms within the administrative interfaces of these application servers. When administrators perform management operations through the web-based administration console or through programmatic interfaces, the system fails to properly validate or sanitize input parameters that are processed within the administrative subsystem. This weakness creates opportunities for attackers to manipulate administrative functions through specially crafted requests that could bypass normal security controls. The vulnerability's impact extends across all three core security principles defined by the CIA triad, as it potentially enables attackers to compromise confidentiality by accessing sensitive administrative data, integrity by modifying system configurations or application content, and availability by disrupting administrative services or causing system instability. The attack vectors likely involve manipulation of administrative parameters, session management flaws, or improper authorization checks that allow unauthorized access to administrative functions.
From an operational perspective, the exploitation of CVE-2011-0807 could result in severe consequences for organizations relying on these application servers for mission-critical applications. Attackers who successfully exploit this vulnerability could gain unauthorized access to administrative capabilities that would allow them to modify application server configurations, deploy malicious applications, or extract sensitive data from the system. The potential for confidentiality breaches is particularly concerning given that administrative interfaces typically contain sensitive information about system configurations, user credentials, and application data. Integrity compromises could lead to application tampering, configuration changes that weaken security posture, or the installation of backdoors that persist across system restarts. Availability impacts could manifest through denial of service conditions that prevent legitimate administrators from accessing management interfaces or through system instability caused by malicious configuration changes. Organizations using these vulnerable versions of GlassFish or Java System Application Server face significant risk of unauthorized system compromise and potential data breaches.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2011-0807 should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems with Oracle's security updates, as these vulnerabilities have been addressed through official patches and security bulletins. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit access to administrative interfaces, ensuring that only trusted administrative networks can reach the management ports and interfaces. Additional defensive measures include implementing strong authentication mechanisms, enabling secure communication protocols such as SSL/TLS for administrative access, and configuring firewalls to restrict access to administrative ports to specific IP addresses or ranges. The implementation of web application firewalls and intrusion detection systems can help monitor for suspicious administrative access patterns. Organizations should also conduct thorough security assessments of their administrative interfaces, including code reviews and penetration testing, to identify additional weaknesses that may compound the effects of this vulnerability. Regular security monitoring and log analysis should be implemented to detect unauthorized administrative access attempts or suspicious activities within the administrative subsystems. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 Access Control Issues and may map to ATT&CK techniques related to privilege escalation and defense evasion through administrative access exploitation, making comprehensive remediation essential for maintaining overall security posture.
This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of securing administrative interfaces in enterprise application servers, as these components often serve as primary attack targets for sophisticated adversaries seeking persistent access to organizational systems. The lack of specific details about the exact attack vector in the CVE description reflects the complexity of administrative interface security and the need for comprehensive security testing of all management components within application server environments. Organizations should maintain updated security awareness programs for administrators to prevent social engineering attacks that could complement technical exploits of these administrative vulnerabilities. The vulnerability also highlights the necessity of implementing robust change management processes for administrative configurations and maintaining detailed audit trails of all administrative activities to facilitate incident response and forensic analysis.