CVE-2011-4358 in GlassFish Enterprise Server
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in Oracle GlassFish Enterprise Server 3.0.1 and 3.1.1 allows remote attackers to affect confidentiality and integrity, related to JSF.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/26/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-4358 resides within Oracle GlassFish Enterprise Server versions 3.0.1 and 3.1.1, specifically impacting the JavaServer Faces (JSF) component. This unspecified weakness represents a critical security gap that enables remote attackers to compromise both confidentiality and integrity of affected systems. The vulnerability's classification as unspecified indicates that the exact technical details of the flaw were not publicly disclosed at the time of reporting, though the impact scope clearly demonstrates serious security implications. GlassFish Server, as a comprehensive Java EE application server, serves as a foundational platform for enterprise web applications, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for organizations relying on its services.
The technical nature of this vulnerability relates to the JSF implementation within the GlassFish server environment, where remote attackers can exploit the flaw to manipulate data integrity and potentially access confidential information. JSF, being a component-based web framework for Java applications, handles user interface components and their state management, making it a prime target for attacks that could disrupt normal application operations or extract sensitive data. The vulnerability's presence in the JSF subsystem suggests potential issues with input validation, component handling, or state management mechanisms that could be leveraged by malicious actors. This type of vulnerability typically involves weaknesses in how the framework processes user input or manages component lifecycle events, potentially allowing for injection attacks or unauthorized data manipulation.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to enterprise environments that utilize GlassFish Server 3.0.1 or 3.1.1 for their web applications. The ability to affect both confidentiality and integrity means that attackers could potentially modify application data, inject malicious content, or access sensitive information stored within the system. Organizations using affected versions face potential data breaches, application corruption, and service disruption. The remote exploit capability eliminates the need for local system access, making the vulnerability particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged from any network location. This vulnerability would likely impact web applications built using JSF technology, potentially affecting financial services, healthcare systems, government portals, and other critical infrastructure applications that rely on GlassFish for their web services.
Security professionals should recognize this vulnerability as potentially mapping to CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation) or similar weakness categories within the Common Weakness Enumeration framework, given the nature of JSF component handling and input processing. The ATT&CK framework would classify this vulnerability under T1190 (Exploit Public-Facing Application) and potentially T1071.004 (Application Layer Protocol: Web Protocols) as attackers would need to interact with the web application interface to exploit the flaw. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying Oracle's security patches, upgrading to unaffected GlassFish versions, and implementing network segmentation to limit exposure. Additional protective measures such as web application firewalls, input validation controls, and regular security assessments can help reduce the risk associated with this vulnerability while awaiting official patches. The vulnerability underscores the importance of maintaining up-to-date application server software and conducting regular security assessments to identify and remediate potential weaknesses before they can be exploited by malicious actors.