CVE-2002-1258
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 · uneditedTwo vulnerabilities in Microsoft Virtual Machine (VM) up to and including build 5.0.3805, as used in Internet Explorer and other applications, allow remote attackers to read files via a Java applet with a spoofed location in the CODEBASE parameter in the APPLET tag, possibly due to a parsing error.
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) up to build 5.0.3805 contains a vulnerability where a malicious Java applet can read arbitrary files from the local system by exploiting a parsing error in the CODEBASE parameter of the APPLET tag, allowing the applet to access files outside the intended sandbox.
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
- Partial
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N
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.
-
Confirm Microsoft VM is installedCheck the Windows registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Java VM for existence, or look for msjava.dll in %SystemRoot%\System32Affected if The registry key or msjava.dll file exists, indicating Microsoft VM is present
-
Identify Microsoft VM build versionCheck the version of msjava.dll file in System32, or query the registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Java VM\Version for the build numberAffected if Build version is 5.0.3805 or lower (the vulnerability affects builds up to 5.0.3805)
-
Verify Java applet support is enabled in Internet ExplorerOpen Internet Explorer, go to Tools > Internet Options > Security > Custom Level, and check the settings for Java permissions under 'Script ActiveX controls marked safe for scripting'Affected if Java applets or ActiveX controls are enabled in Internet Explorer security settings
-
Check for applications using Microsoft VM for Java appletsReview installed software for applications that rely on Microsoft VM, or examine browsers for plugins related to Microsoft Java MachineAffected if Applications or browsers are configured to use Microsoft VM for running Java applets
The environment is affected if Microsoft VM build 5.0.3805 or lower is installed and Java applets are enabled in Internet Explorer or other applications that use the Microsoft VM runtime.
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 dataDisable or remove deprecated Microsoft VM and Java applets in Internet Explorer; migrate to a supported Java Runtime Environment (JRE) if Java functionality is required.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,120.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2002-1258 — 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-2002-1258 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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