CVE-2026-101516 in Java SE
Summary
by MITRE • 10/21/2026
Vulnerability in the Oracle Java SE, Oracle GraalVM for JDK, Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition product of Oracle Java SE (component: Libraries). Supported versions that are affected are Oracle Java SE: 8u503, 8u503-perf, 11.0.32.1, 17.0.20.1, 21.0.12.1, 25.0.4.1, 27; Oracle GraalVM for JDK: 17.0.20.1 and 21.0.12.1; Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition: 21.3.19.1.1. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via multiple protocols to compromise Oracle Java SE, Oracle GraalVM for JDK, Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized update, insert or delete access to some of Oracle Java SE, Oracle GraalVM for JDK, Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition accessible data as well as unauthorized read access to a subset of Oracle Java SE, Oracle GraalVM for JDK, Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition accessible data. Note: This vulnerability can be exploited by using APIs in the specified Component, e.g., through a web service which supplies data to the APIs. This vulnerability also 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. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 6.5 (Confidentiality and Integrity impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/21/2026
The identified vulnerability resides within the Libraries component of Oracle Java SE, Oracle GraalVM for JDK, and Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition products. This security flaw affects a broad range of supported versions including Oracle Java SE 8u503, 8u503-perf, 11.0.32.1, 17.0.20.1, 21.0.12.1, and 25.0.4.1, as well as specific releases of Oracle GraalVM for JDK versions 17.0.20.1 and 21.0.12.1, and Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition version 21.3.19.1.1. The core issue stems from a flaw in how the Java runtime environment handles data processing within its library subsystems, allowing for unauthorized manipulation of internal state or external resources when specific APIs are invoked with maliciously crafted inputs.
An attacker can exploit this vulnerability without requiring any form of authentication, leveraging network access via multiple protocols to initiate the attack vector. The exploitation mechanism typically involves supplying malformed or specially constructed data through application programming interfaces exposed by the affected components. This often manifests in scenarios where a web service supplies data directly to these vulnerable APIs, triggering the flaw during processing. Because the vulnerability is tied to API usage rather than just network protocol parsing, it remains effective even if the initial entry point appears secure at the transport layer, provided the application logic passes unvalidated or improperly validated data into the affected library functions.
The operational impact of a successful exploitation is significant, primarily affecting the confidentiality and integrity of accessible data within the Java environment. Successful attacks enable an unauthorized attacker to perform update, insert, or delete operations on certain datasets managed by Oracle Java SE, GraalVM for JDK, or GraalVM Enterprise Edition. Furthermore, the vulnerability grants unauthorized read access to a subset of this data, leading to potential information disclosure. This dual impact on both integrity and confidentiality aligns with Common Weakness Enumeration classifications such as CWE-20 Improper Input Validation when the root cause is inadequate sanitization of API inputs, or potentially CWE-798 if it involves default credential issues in exposed services, though the primary vector here is input handling within libraries.
This vulnerability poses a heightened risk to Java deployments that rely on sandboxing for security isolation, such as clients running sandboxed Java Web Start applications or sandboxed Java applets. These environments are designed to restrict untrusted code from accessing sensitive system resources. However, if the underlying library implementation contains this flaw, an attacker loading and executing untrusted code from the internet may bypass these sandbox restrictions by exploiting the API vulnerability to access data that should remain isolated. This undermines the fundamental security model of Java applets and Web Start applications which depend on strict boundary enforcement between trusted and untrusted execution contexts.
The severity of this issue is quantified by a CVSS 3.1 Base Score of 6.5, indicating a Medium risk level. The vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N) confirms that the attack requires no user interaction, has low complexity, and affects confidentiality and integrity but not availability. In terms of MITRE ATT&CK mapping, this vulnerability facilitates techniques related to Data Injection or potentially Command and Control if used for exfiltration, falling under tactics such as Collection or Exfiltration depending on how the read access is leveraged by an adversary post-exploitation.
Mitigation strategies must prioritize immediate patching to the latest available versions of Oracle Java SE, GraalVM for JDK, and Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition provided by Oracle Security Updates. Organizations should review their application codebases to ensure that all API calls involving data input from external sources implement rigorous validation and sanitization checks as a defense-in-depth measure. For deployments utilizing sandboxed applets or Web Start applications, it is critical to assess whether these legacy technologies are still necessary; if so, strict network segmentation and firewall rules should be applied to limit exposure of the vulnerable components to untrusted networks until patches can be deployed. Regular vulnerability scanning focused on Java library versions is also recommended to detect any remaining instances of affected software in production environments.