CVE-2012-4820 in Java
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the JRE component in IBM Java 7 SR2 and earlier, Java 6.0.1 SR3 and earlier, Java 6 SR11 and earlier, Java 5 SR14 and earlier, and Java 142 SR13 FP13 and earlier; as used in IBM Rational Host On-Demand, Rational Change, Tivoli Monitoring, Smart Analytics System 5600, Tivoli Remote Control 5.1.2, WebSphere Real Time, Lotus Notes & Domino, Tivoli Storage Productivity Center, and Service Deliver Manager; and other products from other vendors such as Red Hat, when running under a security manager, allows remote attackers to gain privileges by modifying or removing the security manager via vectors related to "insecure use of the java.lang.reflect.Method invoke() method."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/19/2021
This vulnerability resides within IBM's Java Runtime Environment and affects multiple versions of Java 7, 6, 5, and 142 across various IBM products and third-party implementations. The flaw manifests through an insecure use of the java.lang.reflect.Method invoke() method, which creates a critical privilege escalation pathway when the Java application runs under a security manager. The vulnerability specifically targets environments where security restrictions are enforced through the security manager mechanism, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise applications that rely on Java's security model to isolate processes and protect system resources.
The technical exploitation occurs when remote attackers can manipulate the reflection API to bypass security manager restrictions. The java.lang.reflect.Method invoke() method allows dynamic invocation of methods at runtime, but when improperly secured, attackers can leverage this capability to modify or remove security manager instances. This creates a direct pathway for privilege escalation, enabling attackers to execute code with elevated permissions that would normally be restricted. The vulnerability essentially undermines the fundamental security boundaries that the Java security manager is designed to maintain, allowing malicious actors to circumvent access controls and gain unauthorized system privileges.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe across the affected IBM products and their ecosystem. Applications running under IBM Rational Host On-Demand, Tivoli Monitoring, WebSphere Real Time, and other systems become immediately vulnerable to remote privilege escalation attacks. This affects not only IBM's own software but also third-party implementations that depend on these Java versions, creating widespread exposure across enterprise environments. The vulnerability can be exploited remotely, meaning attackers do not need physical access to the system, and can potentially compromise entire application servers or database systems that rely on these Java implementations for their operations.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating to patched versions of IBM Java, disabling unnecessary reflection capabilities in applications, and implementing network segmentation to limit exposure. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-264, which describes permissions, privileges, and access control issues, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1068, which covers exploit for privilege escalation. Additionally, this vulnerability demonstrates the importance of secure coding practices around reflection APIs and proper security manager enforcement. Companies should also consider implementing runtime monitoring and application whitelisting to detect and prevent exploitation attempts, as well as conducting comprehensive security assessments of all Java-based applications to identify potential similar vulnerabilities in their codebase.
The broader implications extend beyond immediate exploitation, as this vulnerability demonstrates how foundational security mechanisms can be subverted through seemingly benign reflection APIs. This highlights the critical need for security managers to be properly configured and enforced, along with regular security audits of Java applications. Organizations should also consider implementing additional layers of security such as intrusion detection systems and regular vulnerability scanning to identify potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability serves as a reminder that even well-established security frameworks can be compromised through improper implementation of core Java APIs, emphasizing the importance of secure development practices and comprehensive security testing throughout the software development lifecycle.