JreApplication · Sun

CVE-2010-0844

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

Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description

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 for improper parsing of a crafted MIDI stream when creating a MixerSequencer object, which causes a pointer to be corrupted and allows a NULL byte to be written to arbitrary memory.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

A memory corruption vulnerability in Java's Sound component allows arbitrary memory writes via improper parsing of crafted MIDI streams when creating a MixerSequencer object. The flaw causes pointer corruption, enabling a NULL byte to be written to arbitrary memory locations, leading to potential code execution.

MitigationApply Oracle Java SE critical patch updates to versions beyond the affected releases (6 Update 18, 5.0 Update 23, 1.4.2_25, 1.3.1_27). Alternatively, disable Java plugin in browsers and restrict MIDI file processing in untrusted contexts until patching is feasible.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions

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

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?

dbcve checks

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

Identify installed Java version

Run 'java -version' or 'javac -version' from command line to get the JRE/JDK version number

Affected if Version matches any of the affected ranges: JRE/JDK 1.6.0 and below, 1.5.0 and below, 1.4.2_25 and below, 1.3.1_27 and below, or specific point releases like 1.4.2_1 through 1.4.2_10, 1.3.0 through 1.3.0_05
Determine if Java applets or web Start are enabled

Check browser Java plugin settings or Java Control Panel (Java > Security) for 'Enable Java content in browser' setting

Affected if Java browser plugin is enabled and untrusted MIDI content can be loaded
Identify MIDI processing usage

Search application code or loaded classes for MixerSequencer usage (javax.sound.midi.MixerSequencer) or MIDI file handling

Affected if Code creates MixerSequencer objects or processes MIDI streams from untrusted sources

User is affected if they run any Sun JRE/JDK/SDK version within the 1.3.x to 1.6.0 family listed as vulnerable and have Java applets enabled or process untrusted MIDI content.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Remediation

From vendor data

Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 1.6.0

Interim mitigation

Apply Oracle Java SE critical patch updates to versions beyond the affected releases (6 Update 18, 5.0 Update 23, 1.4.2_25, 1.3.1_27). Alternatively, disable Java plugin in browsers and restrict MIDI file processing in untrusted contexts until patching is feasible.

Fix this in Jre Scoped from the published advisory

Consultation2.0 h
Implementation4.0 h
Testing6.0 h
Review / QA2.0 h

14.0 hours of engineering $2,380

Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,808.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally

dbcve dependency scanner

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References

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2010-0844 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2010-0844?

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.

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

At a glance

A fix existsUpgrade to after 1.6.0 or later

Severity 7.5 High

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 3.8%

Affects: Jre

Remediation

A high-priority fix

Fix this in Jre 14 hrs · Moderate

Typical engagement from $2,380

Get a fix See the full breakdown ↓

A high-priority vulnerability. Send your environment and a specialist will scope CVE-2010-0844 and return a fixed quote and timeline.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Check your environment

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.

Scan for this in your stack

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References