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Java SeApplication · Sun

CVE-2009-2718

MEDIUM · 6.8 CVSS v2.0 Published 2009-08-10
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
77/100
Remediation priority · High
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
The Abstract Window Toolkit (AWT) implementation in Sun Java SE 6 before Update 15 on X11 does not impose the intended constraint on distance from the window border to the Security Warning Icon, which makes it easier for context-dependent attackers to trick a user into interacting unsafely with an untrusted applet.

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 confidence

The Abstract Window Toolkit (AWT) in Sun Java SE 6 prior to Update 15 on X11 systems fails to enforce the intended minimum distance constraint between the window border and the Security Warning Icon. This allows untrusted applets to position the warning icon dangerously close to the window edge, potentially deceiving users into clicking on malicious content believing it to be a trusted security warning.

MitigationUpgrade Sun Java SE 6 to Update 15 or later to obtain the patched AWT implementation that properly enforces the Security Warning Icon distance constraint.

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
Java SeApplication
Affected:= 6

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
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Partial
Integrity
Partial
Availability
Partial

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P

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. Verify Java SE 6 is installed
    Run 'java -version' or 'javac -version' from command line, or check for Java installation directories like /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-*
    Affected if Java SE 6 is present on the system
  2. Determine the exact Java update version
    Parse the version output from 'java -version' - look for version string like 1.6.0_X where X is the update number (Update 14 or earlier means vulnerable)
    Affected if Version string shows 1.6.0_14 or earlier (Update 14 or earlier)
  3. Confirm the system uses X11 display server
    Check if the DISPLAY environment variable is set (echo $DISPLAY) or verify X11 libraries are in use - this vulnerability only affects X11 systems, not Windows or Mac
    Affected if System is running X11 (Unix/Linux with X Window System) and DISPLAY is configured

A user is affected if Sun Java SE 6 with an update version earlier than Update 15 (1.6.0_14 or lower) is installed on an X11-based system.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade Sun Java SE 6 to Update 15 or later to obtain the patched AWT implementation that properly enforces the Security Warning Icon distance constraint.

Fix this in Java Se Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $890
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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-2009-2718 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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
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  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data