CVE-2002-1257
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedMicrosoft Virtual Machine (VM) up to and including build 5.0.3805 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by including a Java applet that invokes COM (Component Object Model) objects in a web site or an HTML mail.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceMicrosoft Virtual Machine (VM) build 5.0.3805 and earlier contains a vulnerability where malicious Java applets can invoke arbitrary COM (Component Object Model) objects, allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary code. This can be exploited via malicious web pages or HTML email messages.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE dataall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versions= 4.0all versionsCVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify Microsoft VM is installedCheck for the presence of Microsoft VM by looking for the registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Java VM\EnableJIT (or similar Java VM keys under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\) or by checking for the file msjava.dll in the system directory (typically C:\Windows\System32 or C:\WINNT\System32).Affected if The Microsoft VM is present on the system.
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Determine the Microsoft VM build versionOpen the registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Java VM\ and look for a Version or BuildNumber value, or right-click the file msjava.dll (if found) and view Properties > Version to read the File Version.Affected if The build version is 5.0.3805 or earlier, or if the version cannot be determined but Microsoft VM is present on a vulnerable Windows version.
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Check if Java applet execution is possibleIn Internet Explorer, go to Tools > Internet Options > Security > Custom Level > Java permissions (or check for Java Plug-in settings). In Outlook/Outlook Express, check if HTML email can execute scripts or Java content. Also verify if any browser still has the Microsoft VM Java runtime enabled.Affected if Java applets or scripts can be executed through browser or email clients on the system.
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Confirm Windows version is affectedRun 'winver' or check System Properties to identify the Windows version. This vulnerability affects Windows 2000, 95, 98, 98se, Me, NT 4.0, and XP.Affected if The system is running any version of Windows 2000, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98se, Windows Me, Windows NT 4.0, or Windows XP with Microsoft VM installed.
A system is affected if it runs a vulnerable Windows version (2000, 95, 98, 98se, Me, NT 4.0, XP) with Microsoft VM build 5.0.3805 or earlier installed and has Java applet execution enabled in any browser or email client.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataThe Microsoft VM is obsolete and deprecated; ensure no systems running this legacy component remain, or implement compensating controls such as disabling Java applets in browsers and mail clients if the VM is unavoidable in legacy systems.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2002-1257 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2002-1257 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data