OpenjdkApplication · Sun
CVE-2009-3881
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 · uneditedSun Java SE 5.0 before Update 22 and 6 before Update 17, and OpenJDK, does not prevent the existence of children of a resurrected ClassLoader, which allows remote attackers to gain privileges via unspecified vectors, related to an "information leak vulnerability," aka Bug Id 6636650.
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 confidenceThis vulnerability in Sun Java SE 5.0 before Update 22 and 6 before Update 17 (and OpenJDK) allows remote attackers to gain privileges through an information leak. The flaw fails to prevent the existence of children of a resurrected ClassLoader, which can be exploited to elevate privileges via unspecified vectors.
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
- 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 Java versionRun 'java -version' from command line and capture the full version output, or check the Java installation directory for version info filesAffected if The output shows a version earlier than 1.5.0 Update 22 or earlier than 1.6.0 Update 17, or shows any version of OpenJDK
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Determine exact Java update numberFor Java 5.0 (1.5.x), verify the Update number in the version string (for example, '1.5.0_21' means Update 21). For Java 6 (1.6.x), check the Update number similarly (for example, '1.6.0_16' means Update 16). OpenJDK versions do not have an Update number in this format.Affected if The update number is absent (OpenJDK) or is less than 22 for Java 5.0, or less than 17 for Java 6
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Confirm Java vendor and distributionExamine the 'java -version' output for vendor identification. Oracle/Sun Java shows the vendor name, while OpenJDK typically displays 'OpenJDK' in the product description.Affected if The vendor is listed as OpenJDK or the version string contains 'OpenJDK' (all OpenJDK versions are affected)
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Verify ClassLoader behavior contextThis is a ClassLoader vulnerability. Check if any custom or third-party ClassLoaders are in use by inspecting application code or runtime configuration for classes extending java.lang.ClassLoader.Affected if Custom ClassLoaders exist in the environment and the Java version falls within the affected ranges above
You are affected if the installed Java is any version of OpenJDK, or Sun Java 5.0 (1.5.0) earlier than Update 22, or Sun Java 6 (1.6.0) earlier than Update 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 Java SE to version 5.0 Update 22 or later, 6 Update 17 or later, or the equivalent OpenJDK version to patch this information leak that enables privilege escalation.
Fix this in Openjdk
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,688.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2009-3881 — 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-2009-3881 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
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