CVE-2013-4002 in Java SE
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) in IBM Java 5.0 before 5.0 SR16-FP3, 6 before 6 SR14, 6.0.1 before 6.0.1 SR6, and 7 before 7 SR5 allows remote attackers to affect availability via unknown vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/31/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-4002 represents a critical availability risk within IBM Java Runtime Environment implementations across multiple versions including Java 5.0, 6.0, and 7.0. This unspecified weakness affects the core Java Runtime Environment functionality and presents remote exploitation capabilities that can compromise system availability. The vulnerability impacts IBM's Java implementations specifically before the mentioned service pack releases, indicating a widespread issue within the Java runtime infrastructure that requires immediate attention from system administrators and security teams responsible for maintaining Java-based applications.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from an unspecified flaw within the Java Runtime Environment that enables remote attackers to manipulate system availability through unknown attack vectors. According to CWE classification standards, this vulnerability likely falls under categories related to unspecified weaknesses or unspecified vulnerabilities that can lead to availability impacts. The attack surface is particularly concerning as it operates at the runtime environment level, meaning that any application relying on IBM Java 5.0, 6.0, or 7.0 versions before the specified patches could be susceptible to denial of service attacks. The unspecified nature of the attack vectors suggests that multiple exploitation paths may exist, making the vulnerability particularly dangerous as it could be leveraged through various methods that are not yet fully documented.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to enterprise environments that depend on IBM Java implementations for critical business applications. Remote exploitation capabilities mean that attackers can potentially disrupt services without requiring local access or physical presence, making the attack vector particularly attractive for malicious actors seeking to cause system downtime. The availability impact specifically indicates that successful exploitation could result in system crashes, application unresponsiveness, or complete service disruption, affecting business continuity and potentially leading to financial losses. Organizations using affected IBM Java versions face the risk of unauthorized service disruption that could impact customer-facing applications, internal business processes, and overall IT infrastructure stability.
The recommended mitigation strategy involves immediate deployment of the applicable service packs and fix packs for each affected Java version. IBM released specific patches for Java 5.0 SR16-FP3, 6 SR14, 6.0.1 SR6, and 7 SR5, which address this vulnerability through code modifications and runtime environment improvements. Security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments across their infrastructure to identify all systems running affected Java versions and prioritize patch deployment accordingly. Additionally, implementing network segmentation and access controls can help limit potential exploitation while patches are being deployed. Organizations should also consider monitoring network traffic for suspicious activities that might indicate attempted exploitation of this vulnerability, as the unspecified nature of attack vectors makes detection challenging. The remediation process should include thorough testing of patched environments to ensure that the vulnerability is fully addressed without introducing compatibility issues with existing applications. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK tactics related to denial of service and privilege escalation, emphasizing the need for comprehensive security posture management across Java runtime environments.