CVE-2023-21930 in Java SE
Summary
by MITRE • 04/18/2023
Vulnerability in the Oracle Java SE, Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition product of Oracle Java SE (component: JSSE). Supported versions that are affected are Oracle Java SE: 8u361, 8u361-perf, 11.0.18, 17.0.6, 20; Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition: 20.3.9, 21.3.5 and 22.3.1. Difficult to exploit vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via TLS to compromise Oracle Java SE, Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized creation, deletion or modification access to critical data or all Oracle Java SE, Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition accessible data as well as unauthorized access to critical data or complete access to all Oracle Java SE, Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition accessible data. Note: This vulnerability applies to Java deployments, typically in clients running sandboxed Java Web Start applications or sandboxed Java applets, that load and run untrusted code (e.g., code that comes from the internet) and rely on the Java sandbox for security. This vulnerability can also be exploited by using APIs in the specified Component, e.g., through a web service which supplies data to the APIs. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 7.4 (Confidentiality and Integrity impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/19/2025
This vulnerability resides within the Java Secure Socket Extension component of Oracle Java SE and GraalVM Enterprise Edition, representing a critical security weakness that affects multiple version lines including Java 8, 11, 17, and 20, as well as GraalVM versions 20.3.9, 21.3.5, and 22.3.1. The flaw manifests as a cryptographic protocol implementation weakness that permits unauthorized access to sensitive data through network-based attacks. According to the CVSS 3.1 scoring system with a base score of 7.4, this vulnerability presents a high risk to confidentiality and integrity, with the attack vector requiring only network access and no authentication credentials. The vulnerability's classification aligns with CWE-310, which specifically addresses cryptographic weaknesses in Java applications.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through TLS network connections, allowing attackers to compromise the underlying Java runtime environment and gain unauthorized access to data. The attack requires minimal privileges and can be executed by unauthenticated network users who can manipulate TLS connections to the affected Java applications. This represents a significant risk for Java deployments that execute untrusted code within sandboxed environments, particularly in web-based applications or applets that rely on Java's security model for protection. The vulnerability's impact extends to both data modification and data access capabilities, potentially allowing attackers to create, delete, or modify critical data within the Java environment.
The operational implications of this vulnerability are severe for organizations utilizing Oracle Java SE or GraalVM Enterprise Edition in production environments. Systems running sandboxed Java Web Start applications or applets that load code from untrusted sources become particularly vulnerable, as these deployments rely heavily on the Java sandbox security model that this vulnerability can bypass. The attack surface is expanded when considering web services that utilize the affected APIs, as these interfaces can serve as entry points for exploitation. Organizations using Java-based applications for sensitive data processing, financial transactions, or enterprise resource planning systems face significant risk of data compromise. The vulnerability's difficulty level of exploitation is rated as hard, indicating that while it requires some technical skill, it is not particularly complex to implement.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patching of affected Java installations to the latest supported versions, which typically include the security fixes released by Oracle for this vulnerability. Organizations should also implement network segmentation to limit access to Java applications and consider disabling unnecessary Java functionality where possible. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect anomalous network traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The implementation of additional access controls and data encryption can provide defense-in-depth measures against potential exploitation. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability aligns with techniques involving credential access and privilege escalation through software exploitation, making it particularly concerning for organizations that rely on Java-based security controls. Organizations should also review their Java deployment configurations to ensure that sandboxed applications are properly isolated from critical system resources and that only necessary permissions are granted to untrusted code execution environments.