dbcve.org
JavaApplication · Ibm

CVE-2012-4823

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, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via vectors related to "insecure use of the java.lang.ClassLoder defineClass() 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 · high confidence

Vulnerability in IBM Java Runtime Environment where insecure use of java.lang.ClassLoader defineClass() method allows remote attackers to load and execute arbitrary bytecode. The defineClass() method, when called with attacker-controlled byte arrays, enables dynamic class loading without proper validation, leading to remote code execution.

MitigationApply IBM Java security updates or vendor patches to address the insecure ClassLoader usage. If immediate patching is not feasible, implement network segmentation and restrict untrusted code execution capabilities.

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 if IBM Java is installed
    Run 'java -version' and look for 'IBM' or 'J9' in the output. On Windows, check Program Files for IBM\Java* directories. On Linux, check /opt/ibm/ or use 'which java' and examine the path.
    Affected if The output shows IBM Java or the J9 JVM rather than Oracle/OpenJDK
  2. Determine IBM Java version
    Run 'java -version 2>&1' and note the full version string (e.g., 1.6.0.11). For IBM Java 5, 6, or 7, also check the SR or FP number in the full version output.
    Affected if The version falls within 1.4.2.0 to 1.4.2.13.13, 5.0.0.0 to 5.0.14.0, 6.0.0.0 to 6.0.11.0, or 7.0.0.0 to 7.0.2.0
  3. Check Lotus Domino version and bundled Java
    Check Domino version via 'tell version' in console or notes.ini. Locate the JVM by searching for jvm.cfg in the Domino program directory.
    Affected if Domino version is 8.0 through 8.5.1.2 and it uses an IBM JVM in the affected version range
  4. Check Lotus Notes version and bundled Java
    Check Notes version via Help > About IBM Lotus Notes. Locate the JVM in the Notes program directory under jvm/ folder.
    Affected if Notes version is 8.0 through 8.5 and uses an IBM JVM in the affected version range
  5. Check Lotus Notes Traveler version
    Check Traveler version via 'tell traveler version' console command or the Traveler installation directory.
    Affected if Traveler version matches any of the listed vulnerable versions (8.0 through 8.5.3)

The environment is affected if IBM Java (or any IBM product bundling it) is installed with a version number matching the affected ranges: 1.4.2.x, 5.0.0.x through 5.0.14.x, 6.0.0.x through 6.0.11.x, or 7.0.0.x through 7.0.2.0.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 7.0.2.0
Interim mitigation

Apply IBM Java security updates or vendor patches to address the insecure ClassLoader usage. If immediate patching is not feasible, implement network segmentation and restrict untrusted code execution capabilities.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

IBM Java 142 SR13 FP14+ / Java 5 SR14+ / Java 6 SR11+ / Java 7 SR3+ depending on the original version

  1. 1. Identify the exact IBM Java version currently installed by running 'java -version' or checking the JRE installation directory
  2. 2. For IBM Java 1.4.2.x, upgrade to IBM Java 142 SR13 FP14 or later
  3. 3. For IBM Java 5.0.x, upgrade to IBM Java 5 SR14 or later
  4. 4. For IBM Java 6.0.x, upgrade to IBM Java 6 SR11 or later
  5. 5. For IBM Java 7.0.x, upgrade to IBM Java 7 SR2 or later
  6. 6. For Lotus Domino/Notes/Traveler/Sametime, apply the respective IBM Fix Packs that include the Java security update
  7. 7. For Rational Host On Demand and Rational Change, apply IBM's cumulative security patches
  8. 8. After upgrading Java, restart all applications and services that depend on the JRE
Caveat Major Java version upgrades may require compatibility testing for applications; some legacy applications may not work on newer Java versions

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

Fix this in Java Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
42.0 hours of engineering $7,360
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $11,776.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-4823 — 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-2012-4823 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