CVE-2019-17631 in OpenJ9
Summary
by MITRE
From Eclipse OpenJ9 0.15 to 0.16, access to diagnostic operations such as causing a GC or creating a diagnostic file are permitted without any privilege checks.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/16/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-17631 affects Eclipse OpenJ9 versions 0.15 through 0.16, representing a critical security flaw in the Java runtime environment's diagnostic functionality. This issue stems from insufficient privilege validation mechanisms within the diagnostic operations subsystem, allowing unauthorized access to sensitive administrative functions that should typically require elevated permissions. The vulnerability specifically impacts the diagnostic file creation capabilities and garbage collection triggering functions, which are core components of JVM monitoring and management.
The technical flaw manifests as a lack of proper authentication and authorization checks within the diagnostic operations interface. When diagnostic functions such as garbage collection triggering or diagnostic file generation are invoked, the system fails to verify whether the requesting process possesses the necessary privileges to execute these operations. This absence of privilege validation creates a path for malicious actors or compromised processes to perform administrative actions without proper authorization. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-284, which addresses insufficient access control mechanisms, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter execution, as attackers could leverage these unauthenticated diagnostic operations to escalate privileges or disrupt system operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it enables potential attackers to manipulate the JVM's memory management and generate diagnostic information that could reveal system internals. An attacker with access to the system could trigger garbage collection cycles at will, potentially causing denial of service conditions or information disclosure through diagnostic file contents. The ability to create diagnostic files without proper authentication means that sensitive system information could be extracted and potentially used for further exploitation. This vulnerability particularly affects environments where OpenJ9 is deployed in production systems, as it could allow adversaries to gain unauthorized access to critical JVM management functions that are typically restricted to system administrators.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2019-17631 primarily involve upgrading to Eclipse OpenJ9 version 0.17 or later, where the privilege checking mechanisms have been properly implemented. Organizations should also implement additional network-level security controls to restrict access to diagnostic ports and interfaces, ensuring that only authorized administrators can reach these sensitive endpoints. System administrators should review and harden the security configuration of their OpenJ9 deployments, disabling unnecessary diagnostic functionality when not actively required for troubleshooting. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper access control implementation in runtime environments and serves as a reminder that diagnostic features, while useful for legitimate administration, must not introduce security risks that could be exploited by unauthorized parties. Organizations should also consider implementing monitoring solutions to detect unusual patterns of diagnostic operation usage that might indicate unauthorized access attempts.