dbcve.org
Actively exploited in the wild. This CVE is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list — treat remediation as urgent. Federal remediation due by 15 Jun 2022.
Ubuntu LinuxOperating system · Canonical

CVE-2010-0840

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2010-04-01
Patch available
A vendor patch is available. No clean upgrade release — apply the published patch.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
In the wild High EPSS Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click Patch available

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
Unspecified vulnerability in the Java Runtime Environment component in Oracle Java SE and Java for Business 6 Update 18, 5.0 Update 23, and 1.4.2_25 allows remote attackers to affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability via unknown vectors. NOTE: the previous information was obtained from the March 2010 CPU. Oracle has not commented on claims from a reliable researcher that this is related to improper checks when executing privileged methods in the Java Runtime Environment (JRE), which allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via (1) an untrusted object that extends the trusted class but has not modified a certain method, or (2) "a similar trust issue with interfaces," aka "Trusted Methods Chaining Remote Code Execution Vulnerability."

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

This is a critical privilege escalation vulnerability in the Java Runtime Environment where improper checks during privileged method execution allow attackers to bypass Java sandbox restrictions. Attackers exploit this through untrusted objects that extend trusted classes without modifying specific methods, or via interface trust issues, enabling arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability affects Java SE/EE 6 Update 18, 5.0 Update 23, and 1.4.2_25.

MitigationUpgrade to newer Java versions with the patch applied (post-March 2010 CPU), or apply Oracle's subsequent Critical Patch Updates. Restrict Java browser plugin execution and network exposure until patched.

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
Ubuntu LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 8.04= 8.10= 9.04= 9.10
JreApplication
Affected:= 1.4.2_25= 1.5.0= 1.6.0
OpensuseOperating system
Affected:= 11.0= 11.1= 11.2

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
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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. Identify installed JRE/JDK version
    Run 'java -version' or 'java -fullversion' from command line. On Linux, also check /usr/lib/jvm/ for installed Java packages and their versions.
    Affected if The installed version matches 1.4.2_25, 1.5.0, 1.6.0, or falls within the Ubuntu 8.04-9.10 or OpenSUSE 11.0-11.2 packaged versions.
  2. Check for Java browser plugin
    Examine browser plugin directories: ~/.mozilla/plugins/ (Firefox) or browser-specific plugin paths. Look for libnpjp2.so (Java Plugin) or JavaAppletPlugin.plugin. List plugins with 'ls -la' or check browser's about:plugins page.
    Affected if Java browser plugin is present and enabled in any web browser, allowing malicious web pages to trigger the vulnerability.
  3. Detect Java Web Start availability
    Check for javaws binary: run 'which javaws' or locate in /usr/bin/javaws. Look for .jnlp file associations in the system.
    Affected if Java Web Start (javaws) is installed and available, as the vulnerability can be exploited through JNLP files.
  4. Identify vulnerable Java package installations on Linux
    On Ubuntu: dpkg -l | grep -i sun-java or openjdk. On OpenSUSE: rpm -qa | grep -i java. List all installed Java-related packages.
    Affected if Packages from the affected Ubuntu or OpenSUSE version ranges are installed.

Your environment is affected if an unpatched JRE/JDK matching versions 1.4.2_25, 1.5.0, or 1.6.0 (or the specific distribution package versions) is installed AND Java is accessible via browser plugin or Java Web Start.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Patch available Apply the vendor patch
Vendor patch www.oracle.com →
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to newer Java versions with the patch applied (post-March 2010 CPU), or apply Oracle's subsequent Critical Patch Updates. Restrict Java browser plugin execution and network exposure until patched.

Recommended fix High confidence

Java 6 Update 19 or later (or migrate to Java 8/11 LTS for long-term support)

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed Java version by running 'java -version' in the terminal
  2. 2. For Ubuntu systems: Remove the vulnerable OpenJDK or Sun Java packages using 'sudo apt-get remove --purge openjdk-*' or 'sudo apt-get remove --purge sun-java-*'
  3. 3. For Ubuntu systems: Update package lists with 'sudo apt-get update'
  4. 4. For Ubuntu systems: Install a newer, patched Java version. For Ubuntu 9.10 and earlier, consider installing OpenJDK 6 or 7 from backports, or manually download and install Java SE 6 Update 19 or later from Oracle (note: Oracle Java 6 is now End of Life)
  5. 5. For OpenSUSE systems: Use 'zypper search java' to find available fixed packages, then 'sudo zypper update java-*' to install patched versions
  6. 6. Verify the new Java version is correctly installed and set as default using 'java -version' and 'sudo update-alternatives --config java' if needed
  7. 7. Ensure any applications using the old Java installation are restarted or reconfigured to use the new version
Caveat Java 6 reached End of Public Updates in February 2013; migrating to newer Java versions may require code changes for deprecated APIs; some application compatibility testing recommended

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Ubuntu Linux Exploited in the wild — priority engagement
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
36.0 hours of engineering $6,400
Get it fixed fast

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $10,240.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2010-0840 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2010-0840 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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.

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
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data