Icedtea WebApplication · Redhat

CVE-2013-1927

MEDIUM · 6.8 CVSS v2.0 Published 2013-04-29

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to after 1.2.2 or later.

See remediation →

77/100

Remediation priority · High

Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description

NVD · unedited

The IcedTea-Web plugin before 1.2.3 and 1.3.x before 1.3.2 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted file that validates as both a GIF and a Java JAR file, aka "GIFAR."

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The IcedTea-Web Java browser plugin fails to properly validate file types, allowing a malicious file to be interpreted as both a valid GIF image and a Java JAR archive (GIFAR attack). When the plugin processes this crafted file, it executes the embedded Java code with full applet privileges, enabling arbitrary code execution.

MitigationUpgrade IcedTea-Web to version 1.2.3, 1.3.2, or later. Alternatively, disable the Java browser plugin entirely or restrict it to trusted sites only.

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

Icedtea WebApplication

Affected:<= 1.2.2= 1.0= 1.0.1= 1.0.2= 1.0.3= 1.0.4= 1.0.5= 1.0.6= 1.1= 1.1.1= 1.1.2= 1.1.3

Ubuntu LinuxOperating system

Affected:= 10.04= 11.10= 12.04= 12.10

OpensuseOperating system

Affected:= 12.2

CVSS breakdown

From the vector

Attack vector: Network
Complexity: M
Authentication: None
Confidentiality: Partial
Integrity: Partial
Availability: Partial

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

Am I affected?

dbcve checks

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

Check if IcedTea-Web plugin is installed

Look for the icedtea-web package or plugin files. On Linux systems, check /usr/lib/jvm/ or /usr/share/icedtea-web/ directories. For browsers, check for icedteaplugin in ~/.mozilla/plugins/ or /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins/

Affected if IcedTea-Web plugin files exist on the system
Determine the installed IcedTea-Web version

Run 'rpm -q icedtea-web' on RHEL/CentOS/Fedora, 'dpkg -l icedtea-6-plugin' or 'dpkg -l icedtea-7-plugin' on Debian/Ubuntu, or 'rpm -qa | grep icedtea' on SUSE. Alternatively, check /usr/share/icedtea-web/version.properties

Affected if The installed version matches one of the affected versions: 1.0 through 1.2.2, 1.1.1 through 1.1.3, or 1.0.1 through 1.0.6
Verify the Java browser plugin is enabled

Open a browser and navigate to about:plugins (Firefox) or chrome://plugins (Chrome). Check if IcedTea Web Plugin or similar Java plugin is listed as enabled

Affected if The IcedTea Java browser plugin is loaded and active in any web browser
Confirm Java applets can execute

Check browser plugin settings or IcedTea configuration at ~/.icedtea/conf or /etc/icedtea-web/proxy.properties. Visit a page that loads a Java applet to test execution capability

Affected if The plugin can load and execute Java applet code without explicit restrictions

If IcedTea-Web version 1.2.2 or earlier (including all 1.0.x, 1.1.x variants) is installed with the Java browser plugin enabled, the system is vulnerable to GIFAR attacks allowing arbitrary code execution.

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

Remediation

From vendor data

Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 1.2.2

Interim mitigation

Upgrade IcedTea-Web to version 1.2.3, 1.3.2, or later. Alternatively, disable the Java browser plugin entirely or restrict it to trusted sites only.

Fix this in Icedtea Web Scoped from the published advisory

Consultation1.0 h
Implementation1.0 h
Testing2.0 h
Review / QA1.0 h

5.0 hours of engineering $860

Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,376.

Scan for this in your stack

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References

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2013-1927 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2013-1927?

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 1.2.2 or later

Severity 6.8 Medium

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 4.3%

Affects: Icedtea Web

Remediation

A high-priority fix

Fix this in Icedtea Web 5 hrs · Low

Typical engagement from $860

Get a fix See the full breakdown ↓

A high-priority vulnerability. Send your environment and a specialist will scope CVE-2013-1927 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