CVE-2009-3852
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 XML component in IBM Runtimes for Java Technology 5.0.0 before SR10 has unknown impact and attack vectors, related to the "updated version of XML4J 4.4.17."
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 · low confidenceUnspecified vulnerability in the XML component of IBM Runtimes for Java Technology 5.0.0 before SR10, related to an updated version of XML4J 4.4.17. The vulnerability has unknown impact and attack vectors but is rated HIGH severity with CVSS 7.5, suggesting network-exploitable code execution or denial-of-service potential in the XML parser.
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<= 5.0.0CVSS 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
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed IBM Java Runtime versionRun 'java -version' or check the IBM Java installation directory for version info. Look for 'IBM J9 VM' or 'IBM Runtimes for Java' in the output.Affected if The version shown is IBM Runtimes for Java Technology 5.0.0 and the Service Release (SR) is earlier than SR10, or the version string shows 5.0.0 without an SR indicator.
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Locate the XML4J librarySearch for xml4j*.jar in the Java installation lib directory, typically under {IBM_JAVA_HOME}/lib/. Use 'find {IBM_JAVA_HOME} -name "xml4j*.jar"' on Unix or 'dir /s {IBM_JAVA_HOME}\lib\xml4j*.jar' on Windows.Affected if The found xml4j.jar version is older than 4.4.17, or the file cannot be found (which may indicate a different XML parser implementation).
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Check Java system property for XML processorRun a simple Java program to print 'java.vendor' and 'java.version' system properties, and if available, inspect the XML processor implementation via 'javax.xml.parsers.DocumentBuilderFactory.newInstance().getClass()'Affected if The vendor shows IBM and the version matches 5.0.0 or earlier without SR10 applied.
A system is affected if it runs IBM Runtimes for Java Technology version 5.0.0 at any SR level before SR10, where the XML4J component version is earlier than 4.4.17.
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 IBM Runtimes for Java Technology 5.0.0 to SR10 or later to incorporate the patched XML4J 4.4.17 version. If immediate patching is not feasible, restrict network exposure of Java applications processing untrusted XML input.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2009-3852 — 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-2009-3852 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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- 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
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