CVE-2015-4893 in Java SE
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in Oracle Java SE 6u101, 7u85, and 8u60; Java SE Embedded 8u51; and JRockit R28.3.7 allows remote attackers to affect availability via vectors related to JAXP, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-4803 and CVE-2015-4911.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/23/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-4893 represents a significant security flaw within Oracle Java SE and Java SE Embedded platforms, affecting multiple version ranges including Java SE 6u101, 7u85, and 8u60 along with Java SE Embedded 8u51 and JRockit R28.3.7. This issue falls under the category of availability impact vulnerabilities, meaning that successful exploitation could lead to disruption of service rather than direct data compromise or privilege escalation. The vulnerability specifically relates to JAXP (Java API for XML Processing) components within the Java runtime environment, making it particularly concerning for applications that heavily rely on XML processing capabilities.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and error handling mechanisms within the JAXP implementation of the affected Java versions. Attackers can craft specially malformed XML documents or manipulate XML processing parameters to trigger unexpected behavior in the Java runtime. This typically manifests through resource exhaustion, infinite loops, or stack overflow conditions that ultimately result in application or system unavailability. The vulnerability's classification as unspecified suggests that Oracle did not provide detailed technical specifics about the exact mechanism, though the reference to JAXP indicates the issue likely involves XML parser or processor manipulation rather than traditional memory corruption vectors. The fact that this vulnerability is distinct from CVE-2015-4803 and CVE-2015-4911 indicates it operates through different attack vectors or code paths within the Java platform.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses substantial risk to enterprise environments that deploy Java-based applications, particularly those handling XML data processing. The remote attack vector means that adversaries can exploit this weakness from outside the network perimeter, making it particularly dangerous for web applications, enterprise services, and cloud-hosted solutions. The availability impact can result in complete service disruption, denial of service conditions, and potential financial losses for organizations relying on affected systems. Applications that process user-supplied XML content, web services consuming XML data, and enterprise systems with XML-based communication protocols are particularly vulnerable. The widespread adoption of Java across enterprise environments means that a successful exploitation could affect numerous systems simultaneously, potentially creating cascading failures throughout network infrastructure.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies including prompt application of Oracle's security patches and updates released for the affected Java versions. System administrators should also consider implementing network-level controls and application firewalls to limit exposure to potentially malicious XML content. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service attacks, while also demonstrating characteristics of CWE-400 weakness related to resource exhaustion and CWE-691 weakness involving inadequate input validation. Additional protective measures include configuring Java applications to use restricted XML parsers, implementing input validation and sanitization for all XML processing, and monitoring system resources for unusual patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Security teams should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems that can identify suspicious XML processing patterns and establish robust incident response procedures to address potential exploitation events.