CVE-2002-1288
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 · uneditedThe Microsoft Java implementation, as used in Internet Explorer, allows remote attackers to determine the current directory of the Internet Explorer process via the getAbsolutePath() method in a File() call.
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 confidenceThe Microsoft Java implementation in Internet Explorer contains an information disclosure vulnerability where the getAbsolutePath() method of a File() object exposes the current working directory of the IE process to remote attackers. This path information could be leveraged for reconnaissance to understand the system environment before launching further attacks.
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 data= 1.1CVSS 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.
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Check if Microsoft Java VM is installedOpen Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs and look for 'Microsoft Java Virtual Machine' (MSJVM) in the installed programs list, or check the system for the presence of java.dll in the Windows\System or Windows\System32 directoryAffected if Microsoft Java Virtual Machine is listed in installed programs or java.dll exists in the system directory
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Determine the version of Microsoft Java VMIf installed, check the version of the java.dll file by right-clicking the file in Windows\System32 (or Windows\System), selecting Properties, and viewing the Version tab. Alternatively, run 'java -version' from command line if the MSJVM is in PATHAffected if The version is exactly 1.1.x (the specific 1.1 release line)
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Verify Java is enabled in Internet ExplorerOpen Internet Explorer, go to Tools > Internet Options > Security > Custom Level, and scroll to the 'Script ActiveX controls marked safe for scripting' setting. Also check Tools > Internet Options > Advanced for a 'Java' section showing Java version settingsAffected if ActiveX controls are enabled and Microsoft Java VM is allowed to run in the browser security zone used for untrusted sites
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Check for Java VM in IE plugin directoriesNavigate to the Internet Explorer plugin directory (typically C:\Windows\System32\iepmap.exe related folders) or check for MSJVM-related registry keys under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Java VMAffected if MSJVM registry keys exist and show an enabled state, or iepmap.exe indicates Java support is active
A user is affected if Microsoft Java Virtual Machine version 1.1 is installed, enabled, and allowed to run ActiveX controls in any Internet Explorer security zone that accesses untrusted web content.
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 the Microsoft Java Virtual Machine from Internet Explorer, or apply historical Microsoft patches for this issue. For legacy systems, consider isolating them from untrusted networks.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2002-1288 — 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-2002-1288 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