OpenjdkApplication · Sun
CVE-2009-3884
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 TimeZone.getTimeZone method in Sun Java SE 5.0 before Update 22 and 6 before Update 17, and OpenJDK, allows remote attackers to determine the existence of local files via vectors related to handling of zoneinfo (aka tz) files, aka Bug Id 6824265.
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 TimeZone.getTimeZone method in Sun Java SE 5.0 before Update 22 and 6 before Update 17, and OpenJDK, contains an information disclosure vulnerability that allows remote attackers to determine the existence of local files on the system via specially crafted requests related to zoneinfo (tz) file handling. This file existence detection could aid further attacks by revealing system configuration and file paths.
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.
-
Identify installed Java versionRun 'java -version' or 'java -fullversion' from command line to get the exact version stringAffected if Version is OpenJDK any version, OR JRE 1.5.0 (any update before u22), OR JRE 1.6.0 (any update before u17)
-
Check for timezone-related network endpointsReview application code and configuration for endpoints or parameters that accept timezone identifiers and pass them to TimeZone.getTimeZone()Affected if Application accepts user-supplied timezone values (like 'America/New_York') and uses them in TimeZone.getTimeZone() calls
-
Verify zoneinfo directory accessCheck if the Java process can read from system timezone data directories (commonly /usr/share/zoneinfo or %JAVA_HOME%/lib/zi)Affected if The zoneinfo directory is readable by the Java process and network-accessible applications use TimeZone.getTimeZone()
-
Test for file existence disclosureSend crafted timezone requests with paths like '../etc/passwd' or absolute file paths to any network-accessible Java endpoint using timezone functionalityAffected if The application returns different responses indicating whether specified files exist on the system
A system is affected if it runs a vulnerable Java version (OpenJDK any version, JRE 1.5.0 before u22, or JRE 1.6.0 before u17) AND has network-accessible applications that pass user input to TimeZone.getTimeZone() without validation.
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 to Java SE 5.0 Update 22 or later, Java SE 6 Update 17 or later, or OpenJDK versions containing the fix. If immediate patching is not feasible, restrict network access to Java-based applications and implement network-level filtering to limit exposure.
Fix this in Openjdk
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2009-3884 — 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-2009-3884 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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