CVE-2012-1719 in Java SE JRE
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) component in Oracle Java SE 7 update 4 and earlier, 6 update 32 and earlier, 5 update 35 and earlier, and 1.4.2_37 and earlier allows remote attackers to affect integrity, related to CORBA.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/25/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-1719 resides within the Java Runtime Environment component of Oracle Java SE, specifically affecting multiple version ranges including Java SE 7 update 4 and earlier, Java SE 6 update 32 and earlier, Java SE 5 update 35 and earlier, and Java 1.4.2_37 and earlier versions. This unspecified vulnerability manifests within the CORBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture) subsystem of the JRE, representing a critical security gap that enables remote attackers to compromise system integrity. The CORBA implementation in these Java versions contains a flaw that allows malicious actors to manipulate or corrupt data integrity within the affected systems. This vulnerability represents a significant concern as CORBA is a fundamental component for distributed object communication in Java applications, making it a prime target for exploitation.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper handling of CORBA requests within the JRE implementation, where insufficient validation or sanitization of incoming data allows attackers to craft malicious CORBA messages that can manipulate internal data structures or corrupt system integrity. The flaw exists in the way the JRE processes CORBA objects and requests, potentially allowing attackers to inject malformed data or manipulate existing CORBA operations to achieve unauthorized integrity violations. This type of vulnerability falls under the broader category of integrity violations as defined by CWE-310, specifically CWE-310 which addresses cryptographic weaknesses that can lead to data integrity compromise. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because CORBA is designed for distributed computing environments where objects communicate across network boundaries, making it susceptible to remote exploitation.
The operational impact of CVE-2012-1719 extends significantly across enterprise environments that rely on older Java versions for critical applications, as it allows remote attackers to compromise data integrity without requiring local system access or elevated privileges. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability from remote locations to manipulate data that flows through CORBA-based applications, potentially leading to unauthorized data modification, system instability, or cascading failures in distributed systems. The vulnerability affects systems where CORBA services are exposed to untrusted networks, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where Java applications communicate across firewalls or expose CORBA interfaces to external clients. Organizations using affected Java versions face potential data corruption, unauthorized system modifications, and compromise of distributed application integrity, which can result in significant operational disruptions and security breaches.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of affected Java installations to the latest available versions that contain fixes for the CORBA-related integrity issues. System administrators should prioritize updating all Java environments to versions that have addressed this vulnerability, as Oracle has released security patches specifically targeting this flaw in their Java SE updates. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit exposure of CORBA services to untrusted networks and consider disabling unnecessary CORBA functionality where possible. The mitigation approach aligns with ATT&CK technique T1071.004 which addresses application layer protocol manipulation, and follows the principle of least privilege by restricting access to CORBA services. Additionally, organizations should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify all systems running affected Java versions and implement monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts against CORBA interfaces. Regular security updates and patch management processes should be strengthened to prevent similar vulnerabilities from remaining unaddressed in production environments.