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JreApplication · Sun

CVE-2010-0842

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v2.0 Published 2010-04-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 1.6.0 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
High EPSS Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 Sound component in Oracle Java SE and Java for Business 6 Update 18, 5.0 Update 23, 1.4.2_25, and 1.3.1_27 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 an uncontrolled array index that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a MIDI file with a crafted MixerSequencer object, related to the GM_Song structure.

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

Uncontrolled array index vulnerability in Java's Sound component (MixerSequencer/GM_Song) allows remote code execution via specially crafted MIDI files. The flaw exists in MIDI file parsing where improper bounds checking on the GM_Song structure enables attackers to overwrite memory and execute arbitrary code.

MitigationApply Oracle Java critical patch updates to versions beyond Java 6 Update 18, or disable Java browser plugins until patches can be deployed.

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
JreApplication
Affected:<= 1.6.0= 1.6.0<= 1.5.0= 1.5.0<= 1.4.2_25= 1.4.2= 1.4.2_1= 1.4.2_2= 1.4.2_3= 1.4.2_4= 1.4.2_5= 1.4.2_6
JdkApplication
Affected:<= 1.6.0= 1.6.0<= 1.5.0= 1.5.0<= 1.3.1_27= 1.3.0= 1.3.0_01= 1.3.0_02= 1.3.0_03= 1.3.0_04= 1.3.0_05= 1.3.1
SdkApplication
Affected:<= 1.4.2_25= 1.4.2= 1.4.2_1= 1.4.2_02= 1.4.2_3= 1.4.2_4= 1.4.2_5= 1.4.2_6= 1.4.2_7= 1.4.2_8= 1.4.2_9= 1.4.2_10

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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed Java version
    Run 'java -version' or 'java -fullversion' from command line to get the exact JRE/JDK version
    Affected if Version matches any of the affected ranges: JRE <=1.6.0, =1.6.0, <=1.5.0, =1.5.0, <=1.4.2_25, =1.4.2, =1.4.2_1 through =1.4.2_6; JDK <=1.6.0, =1.6.0, <=1.5.0, =1.5.0, <=1.3.1_27, =1.3.0, =1.3.0_01 through =1.3.0_05, =1.3.1; SDK <=1.4.2_25, =1.4.2, =1.4.2_1 through =1.4.2_10
  2. Confirm Java vendor is Sun/Oracle
    Check the output of 'java -version' for Sun Microsystems or Oracle vendor information, as this vulnerability affects only Sun implementations
    Affected if Java runtime is from Sun Microsystems or Oracle and version falls within affected ranges
  3. Check if MixerSequencer is accessible
    Run: java -cp . -Xbootclasspath/a:$JAVA_HOME/lib/sound.jar javax.sound.midi.MixerSequencer (or attempt to load the class via: java -cp . -Xbootclasspath/a:sound.jar -version 2>&1 | grep -i sound)
    Affected if The javax.sound.midi.MixerSequencer class loads without errors, indicating the Sound component is present and accessible
  4. Verify MIDI file processing capability
    Search for applications or services that process MIDI files (file extension .mid, .midi) or check for code using javax.sound.midi.* classes in deployed applications
    Affected if MIDI files can be processed or any application uses the Java Sound MIDI sequencer functionality

Environment is affected if a Sun/Oracle Java version within the listed vulnerable ranges is installed AND the Sound MIDI component (MixerSequencer/GM_Song) is available for processing MIDI files.

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.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 1.6.0
Interim mitigation

Apply Oracle Java critical patch updates to versions beyond Java 6 Update 18, or disable Java browser plugins until patches can be deployed.

Fix this in Jre Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
17.0 hours of engineering $2,940
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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-2010-0842 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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