OpenjdkApplication · Sun
CVE-2009-3880
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 Abstract Window Toolkit (AWT) in Java Runtime Environment (JRE) in Sun Java SE 5.0 before Update 22 and 6 before Update 17, and OpenJDK, does not properly restrict the objects that may be sent to loggers, which allows attackers to obtain sensitive information via vectors related to the implementation of Component, KeyboardFocusManager, and DefaultKeyboardFocusManager, aka Bug Id 6664512.
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 AWT in Java SE 5.0 before Update 22 and 6 before Update 17 did not properly restrict objects sent to loggers, allowing sensitive information disclosure through Component, KeyboardFocusManager, and DefaultKeyboardFocusManager implementations.
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
OpenjdkApplication
all versions<= 1.5.0<= 1.6.0= 1.5.0= 1.6.0CVSS 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
- 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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Identify installed Java versionRun 'java -version' or 'java -fullversion' from command line to get the exact JRE versionAffected if Version is 1.5.0 (any update before Update 22) or 1.6.0 (any update before Update 17)
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Check for multiple Java installationsSearch for java.exe in common installation paths (C:\Program Files\Java, /usr/lib/jvm, /usr/java) and check each versionAffected if Any discovered Java installation matches the vulnerable version ranges
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Determine if AWT is in useReview running Java processes or applications for GUI usage: on Windows check running javaw.exe processes, on Unix check for Java GUI appsAffected if AWT-based applications are running on a vulnerable Java version
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Verify Java logging configurationCheck for logging.properties files or logging configuration that may capture AWT Component, KeyboardFocusManager, or DefaultKeyboardFocusManager outputAffected if Logging is enabled and configured to capture output from vulnerable Java version
You are affected if any installed Java runtime is version 1.5.0 Update 21 or earlier, or 1.6.0 Update 16 or earlier, and that Java installation is actively used or exposed.
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 Java Runtime Environment to Java SE 5.0 Update 22 or later, Java SE 6 Update 17 or later, or a later version to address the improper object restriction in AWT logging.
Fix this in Openjdk
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,664.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2009-3880 — 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-2009-3880 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