dbcve.org
JavaApplication · Sun

CVE-2005-2529

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2005-12-31
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
Unspecified vulnerability in Java 1.4.2 before 1.4.2 Release 2 on Apple Mac OS X allows local users to gain privileges via unspecified attack vectors relating to "the utility used to update Java shared archives."

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 · moderate confidence

Local privilege escalation vulnerability in Java 1.4.2 before Release 2 on Apple Mac OS X. The flaw exists in the utility used to update Java shared archives, allowing local users to gain elevated privileges through unspecified attack vectors.

MitigationUpgrade Java to version 1.4.2 Release 2 or later. For legacy systems still running this version, consider modernizing the Java environment as Java 1.4.2 is long past end-of-life.

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
JavaApplication
Affected:= 1.4.2

CVSS 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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check if Java is installed
    Run 'java -version' or 'which java' in the terminal to see if any Java installation exists on the system
    Affected if No Java is found, or the command returns an error indicating Java is not present
  2. Identify the installed Java version
    Execute 'java -version' and examine the output for the version number. For older Java installations, also check for 'java -fullversion' or look in '/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/' on Mac OS X for installed JDKs
    Affected if The version displayed is 1.4.2 (or 1.4.2_XX where XX is any update number below 02)
  3. Confirm the platform is Mac OS X
    Run 'uname -a' or check system information to identify the operating system
    Affected if The operating system is Apple Mac OS X and Java 1.4.2 is installed
  4. Check for the Java shared archive update utility
    On Mac OS X, look for the Java update utility in the Java installation directory, typically under '/System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/' or within the Java 1.4.2 bin directory
    Affected if The utility exists and is executable by local users, enabling the privilege escalation vector

A user is affected if they are running Sun Java version 1.4.2 (any update prior to Release 2) on Apple Mac OS X, as the vulnerable shared archive update utility would allow local privilege escalation.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade Java to version 1.4.2 Release 2 or later. For legacy systems still running this version, consider modernizing the Java environment as Java 1.4.2 is long past end-of-life.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Java 1.4.2 Release 2 (or later on Mac OS X)

  1. 1. Check the current Java version installed: java -version
  2. 2. If running Java 1.4.2 on Apple Mac OS X, verify the exact version (e.g., 1.4.2, 1.4.2 Update 1)
  3. 3. Obtain Java 1.4.2 Release 2 or later from Apple (check Apple Support Downloads or archive resources)
  4. 4. Install the updated Java version following Apple's installation instructions
  5. 5. Verify the installation by running: java -version
  6. 6. Ensure any Java-dependent applications are tested for compatibility with the new version
Caveat Java 1.4.2 is obsolete; applications written for this version may have compatibility issues with newer Java releases; consider migrating to a supported Java version (Java 6 or later) if possible

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Java Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
4.0 hours of engineering $750
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2005-2529 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2005-2529 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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.

What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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