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CVE-2012-4820

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2013-01-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 7.0.2.0 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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 JRE component in IBM Java 7 SR2 and earlier, Java 6.0.1 SR3 and earlier, Java 6 SR11 and earlier, Java 5 SR14 and earlier, and Java 142 SR13 FP13 and earlier; as used in IBM Rational Host On-Demand, Rational Change, Tivoli Monitoring, Smart Analytics System 5600, Tivoli Remote Control 5.1.2, WebSphere Real Time, Lotus Notes & Domino, Tivoli Storage Productivity Center, and Service Deliver Manager; and other products from other vendors such as Red Hat, when running under a security manager, allows remote attackers to gain privileges by modifying or removing the security manager via vectors related to "insecure use of the java.lang.reflect.Method invoke() method."

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 · moderate confidence

This vulnerability allows remote attackers to gain elevated privileges by modifying or removing the Java security manager through insecure use of the java.lang.reflect.Method invoke() method when Java applications run under a security manager. The attack bypasses Java's security sandbox protections.

MitigationUpdate IBM Java to patched versions beyond the affected SR/FP releases, or apply vendor-provided patches for affected products (IBM Rational, Tivoli, Lotus, WebSphere, etc.). If the security manager is not required, consider removing it as a workaround.

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
JavaApplication
Affected:>= 1.4.2, <= 1.4.2.13.13>= 5.0.0.0, <= 5.0.14.0>= 6.0.0.0, <= 6.0.11.0>= 7.0.0.0, <= 7.0.2.0
Lotus DominoApplication
Affected:= 8.0= 8.0.1= 8.0.2= 8.0.2.1= 8.0.2.2= 8.0.2.3= 8.0.2.4= 8.5.0= 8.5.0.1= 8.5.1= 8.5.1.1= 8.5.1.2
Lotus NotesApplication
Affected:= 8.0= 8.0.0= 8.0.1= 8.0.2= 8.0.2.0= 8.0.2.1= 8.0.2.2= 8.0.2.3= 8.0.2.4= 8.0.2.5= 8.0.2.6= 8.5
Lotus Notes SametimeApplication
Affected:= 8.0.80407= 8.0.80822= 8.5.1.20100709-1631
Lotus Notes TravelerApplication
Affected:= 8.0= 8.0.1= 8.0.1.2= 8.0.1.3= 8.5.0.0= 8.5.0.1= 8.5.0.2= 8.5.1.1= 8.5.1.2= 8.5.1.3= 8.5.2.1= 8.5.3
Rational ChangeApplication
Affected:= 4.7= 5.1= 5.2= 5.3
Rational Host On DemandApplication
Affected:= 1.6.0.12= 8.0.8.0= 9.0.8.0= 10.0.9.0= 10.0.10.0= 11.0.3.0= 11.0.4.0= 11.0.5.0= 11.0.5.1= 11.0.6.0= 11.0.6.1
Service Delivery ManagerApplication
Affected:= 7.2.1.0= 7.2.2.0

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
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

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 IBM Java version
    Run 'java -version' or check the Java installation directory for version information. For IBM Java, look for SR or FP numbers in the version string (e.g., 1.4.2.13, 5.0.14.0, 6.0.11.0, 7.0.2.0).
    Affected if The installed IBM Java version falls within these ranges: 1.4.2.0-1.4.2.13.13, 5.0.0.0-5.0.14.0, 6.0.0.0-6.0.11.0, or 7.0.0.0-7.0.2.0.
  2. Determine if security manager is active
    Check for -Djava.security.manager flag in JVM startup arguments, or programmatically verify by checking if System.getSecurityManager() returns a non-null value.
    Affected if A security manager is configured and running. The vulnerability only applies when Java code executes under a security manager.
  3. Verify Lotus Domino version
    Check the Domino server version by viewing the server's Program document, about box (by typing 'show server' at the console), or the version.txt file in the data directory.
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 8.0, 8.0.1, 8.0.2, 8.0.2.1, 8.0.2.2, 8.0.2.3, 8.0.2.4, 8.5.0, 8.5.0.1, 8.5.1, 8.5.1.1, or 8.5.1.2.
  4. Verify Lotus Notes or Traveler version
    Check the version via Help > About in the Notes client, or for Traveler check the Traveler server console output or the version displayed in the Traveler administration.
    Affected if The installed Lotus Notes version is exactly 8.0, 8.0.0, 8.0.1, 8.0.2, 8.0.2.0, 8.0.2.1, 8.0.2.2, 8.0.2.3, 8.0.2.4, 8.0.2.5, 8.0.2.6, or 8.5. OR the Lotus Notes Traveler version is exactly 8.0, 8.0.1, 8.0.1.2, 8.0.1.3, 8.5.0.0, 8.5.0.1, 8.5.0.2, 8.5.1.1, 8.5.1.2, 8.5.1.3, 8.5.2.1, or 8.5.3.
  5. Verify Rational product versions
    For Rational Change, check the version via the About dialog or version file in the installation directory. For Rational Host On Demand, check the version in the launcher or installed components list.
    Affected if Rational Change is version 4.7, 5.1, 5.2, or 5.3. OR Rational Host On Demand is version 1.6.0.12, 8.0.8.0, 9.0.8.0, 10.0.9.0, 10.0.10.0, 11.0.3.0, 11.0.4.0, 11.0.5.0, 11.0.5.1, 11.0.6.0, or 11.0.6.1.

Your environment is affected if you run any of the listed IBM Java versions under a security manager, or if you have installed any of the specific IBM Lotus, Rational, or Service Delivery Manager versions enumerated in the CVE.

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 7.0.2.0
Interim mitigation

Update IBM Java to patched versions beyond the affected SR/FP releases, or apply vendor-provided patches for affected products (IBM Rational, Tivoli, Lotus, WebSphere, etc.). If the security manager is not required, consider removing it as a workaround.

Fix this in Java Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
40.0 hours of engineering $7,000
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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-2012-4820 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