CVE-2012-3155 in GlassFish Server
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the CORBA ORB component in Sun GlassFish Enterprise Server 2.1.1, Oracle GlassFish Server 3.0.1 and 3.1.2, and Sun Java System Application Server 8.1 and 8.2 allows remote attackers to affect availability, related to CORBA ORB.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/18/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-3155 resides within the CORBA ORB (Object Request Broker) component of several Oracle GlassFish Server versions including 2.1.1, 3.0.1, 3.1.2, and Sun Java System Application Server 8.1 and 8.2. This issue represents a critical security flaw that affects the availability of the affected systems, making it particularly concerning for enterprise environments that rely on these application servers for mission-critical operations. The unspecified nature of the vulnerability suggests that the exact technical mechanism remains undisclosed, though the impact on system availability indicates a fundamental weakness in the CORBA implementation that could be exploited by remote attackers without requiring authentication or specialized privileges.
The CORBA ORB component serves as a crucial middleware element that enables distributed object communication across different platforms and languages within enterprise applications. When compromised, this vulnerability can potentially allow attackers to disrupt service availability, leading to denial of service conditions that can severely impact business operations. The vulnerability's classification under the availability impact category aligns with CWE-400, which specifically addresses "Uncontrolled Resource Consumption" and related issues that can lead to system instability or complete service disruption. This weakness in the CORBA ORB implementation demonstrates how fundamental middleware components can become attack vectors when not properly secured against remote exploitation attempts.
The operational impact of CVE-2012-3155 extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise the entire application server infrastructure. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability could cause system crashes, resource exhaustion, or other availability-related issues that would require manual intervention to restore normal operations. The vulnerability affects multiple versions of Oracle GlassFish Server, indicating a widespread issue that would require organizations to assess their entire deployment landscape and implement coordinated patching strategies. This type of vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499, which covers "Endpoint Denial of Service" and demonstrates how attackers can leverage middleware weaknesses to achieve system availability compromise.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should prioritize immediate patching and remediation efforts to address the CORBA ORB weakness. The recommended mitigation approach involves applying the official Oracle patches and updates released specifically for these server versions, while also implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of affected systems. Security monitoring should focus on detecting anomalous network traffic patterns or resource consumption spikes that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing application firewalls and intrusion detection systems to monitor for potential exploitation of this vulnerability, particularly in environments where the affected GlassFish servers are exposed to untrusted networks or public internet access.