CVE-2008-2221
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 · uneditedUnspecified vulnerability in the Java plugin in IBM WebSphere Application Server 5.0.2 allows untrusted applets to gain privileges via unknown attack vectors.
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 confidenceVulnerability in IBM WebSphere Application Server 5.0.2's Java plugin allows untrusted (malicious) applets to execute with elevated privileges, effectively bypassing Java sandbox restrictions. This enables arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the user running the applet or potentially with server-side privileges depending on deployment context.
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= 5.0.2CVSS 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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Identify WebSphere Application Server installation and versionLocate the WebSphere installation directory and check the version. Common locations include /opt/WebSphere or C:\Program Files\WebSphere. Look for version.txt, about.html, or use the versionInfo command in the bin directory.Affected if The installed version is exactly 5.0.2
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Confirm Java plugin presenceCheck the WebSphere installation for Java plugin components. Look in the installation directory for Java-related plugin files or libraries that handle applet execution.Affected if The Java plugin component is present in the WebSphere 5.0.2 installation
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Check if Java applet support is enabledExamine the WebSphere configuration for applet support settings. Look for applet container configuration, plugin configuration files, or administrative console settings related to Java applet execution.Affected if Java applet support is enabled in the WebSphere configuration
A user is affected if they are running WebSphere Application Server version 5.0.2 with the Java plugin and applet support enabled.
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 dataUpgrade from WebSphere Application Server 5.0.2 to a supported version (v8.5 or later), or disable Java applet support entirely if not required. Apply IBM emergency fix if available, though v5.0.2 is long end-of-life.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation40.0 h
- Testing24.0 h
- Review / QA8.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $22,144.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2008-2221 — 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-2008-2221 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