Ubuntu LinuxOperating system · Canonical

CVE-2011-3544

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2011-10-19

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.6.0 or later.

See remediation →

100/100

Remediation priority · Urgent

In the wild High EPSS Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click Patch available

Official description

NVD · unedited

Unspecified vulnerability in the Java Runtime Environment component in Oracle Java SE JDK and JRE 7 and 6 Update 27 and earlier allows remote untrusted Java Web Start applications and untrusted Java applets to affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability via unknown vectors related to Scripting.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

CVE-2011-3544 is a critical vulnerability in Oracle Java SE JDK and JRE (versions 7 and 6 Update 27 and earlier) that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via untrusted Java Web Start applications or Java applets through unknown vectors related to the Scripting component.

MitigationUpdate Oracle Java to a version newer than JDK/JRE 7 or 6 Update 27 (patched in Oracle Critical Patch Update October 2011), or disable Java Web Start and Java applets in web browsers as a temporary workaround.

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

Ubuntu LinuxOperating system

Affected:= 10.04= 10.10= 11.04= 11.10

Satellite With Embedded OracleDatabase / datastore

Affected:= 5.4

JdkApplication

Affected:< 1.6.0= 1.6.0= 1.7.0

JreApplication

Affected:< 1.6.0= 1.6.0= 1.7.0

Linux Enterprise JavaOperating system

Affected:= 10

Linux Enterprise ServerOperating system

Affected:= 10

CVSS breakdown

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?

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 see the installed JRE/JDK version

Affected if Version shows 1.6.0, 1.7.0, or any version below 1.6.0 (meaning Java 6 or 7 before Update 27)
Check Java 6 update version

If Java 6 is installed, run 'java -fullversion' or check the detailed version string. On Linux, check /usr/lib/jvm/ or the path where Java is installed for the update number

Affected if The update version is 27 or earlier (for example, 1.6.0_27-b01 or lower)
Verify Java Web Start is accessible

Run 'javaws' from command line or check if javaws.exe exists on Windows. This indicates the vulnerable Java Web Start component is present

Affected if Java Web Start (javaws) executable exists and the Java version is among the affected versions listed above
Check for browser Java plugin

On Windows, check browser add-ons for 'Java Plug-in' or look for npjp2.dll. On Linux, check ~/.mozilla/plugins/ or system plugin directories for libnpjp2.so

Affected if The Java browser plugin is installed and the Java version is affected
Confirm Scripting component presence

Run 'jrunscript' if available, or check that the jre/lib/jsse.jar or related scripting jars exist in the Java installation directory

Affected if The scripting component files exist and Java version is 1.6.0, 1.7.0, or < 1.6.0

You are affected if any installed Oracle JDK or JRE version is exactly 1.6.0, 1.7.0, or any version below 1.6.0, particularly if Java Web Start or browser plugins are enabled.

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

Remediation

dbcve · scoped

Upgrade available Upgrade to 1.6.0 or later

Fixed in 1.6.0

Vendor patch www.oracle.com →

Interim mitigation

Update Oracle Java to a version newer than JDK/JRE 7 or 6 Update 27 (patched in Oracle Critical Patch Update October 2011), or disable Java Web Start and Java applets in web browsers as a temporary workaround.

Recommended fix High confidence

Java 6 Update 28 or later, Java 7 Update 1 or later, or preferably Java 8 (which has extended support)

1. Identify all Java installations on the system using 'which java' and 'java -version' commands
2. For Ubuntu systems, remove old Java packages: 'apt-get remove openjdk-*' or 'apt-get remove sun-java6-*'
3. Install a fixed version of Java. For Ubuntu 10.04-11.10, add a PPA or backports repository with updated Java packages, or upgrade to a newer Ubuntu LTS release
4. For Red Hat/SUSE systems, update via package manager: 'yum update java-*' or 'zypper update java-*'
5. Verify the installation: run 'java -version' and confirm the version is 1.6.0_28 or later, or 1.7.0 or later
6. Ensure all Java Web Start applications and applets are reviewed for trust before execution

Caveat Java 6 reached end-of-life; upgrading to Java 7/8 may require recompilation or testing for application compatibility

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

Fix this in Ubuntu Linux Exploited in the wild — priority engagement

Consultation2.0 h
Implementation4.0 h
Testing2.0 h
Review / QA1.0 h

9.0 hours of engineering $1,600

Get it fixed fast

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally

dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2011-3544 — 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

Primary sources

www.oracle.comPatch / commit
www.oracle.comPatchVendor Advisory
lists.opensuse.orgMailing ListThird Party Advisory
rhn.redhat.comThird Party Advisory
security.gentoo.orgThird Party Advisory
www.securityfocus.comBroken LinkThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
www.securitytracker.comBroken LinkThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
www.ubuntu.comThird Party Advisory
exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.comThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
www.ibm.comProduct
marc.infoMailing List
marc.infoMailing List
marc.infoMailing List
secunia.comBroken Link
www.redhat.comBroken Link
oval.cisecurity.orgBroken Link
www.cisa.govUS Government Resource
nvd.nist.govNVD record

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2011-3544 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2011-3544?

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

Exploited in the wildOn CISA’s known-exploited list · agencies must fix by 2022-03-24

A fix existsUpgrade to 1.6.0 or later

Severity 9.8 Critical

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 96.7%

Affects: Ubuntu Linux

Remediation

Being exploited — close it fast

Fix this in Ubuntu Linux 9 hrs · Low

Typical engagement from $1,600

Get it fixed fast See the full breakdown ↓

This CVE is on CISA’s actively-exploited list, so the clock is real — a vetted specialist can deliver a reviewed fix for your staging environment quickly.

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