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JdkApplication · Oracle

CVE-2014-4268

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2014-07-17
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
59/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 Oracle Java SE 5.0u65, 6u75, 7u60, and 8u5 allows remote attackers to affect confidentiality via unknown vectors related to Swing.

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

A vulnerability in Oracle Java SE's Swing component (versions 5.0u65, 6u75, 7u60, 8u5) allows remote attackers to potentially impact confidentiality through unspecified vectors. The CVSS 5 score suggests network-exploitable access with limited impact to confidentiality. The exact nature of the flaw is undisclosed by Oracle.

MitigationApply Oracle Critical Patch Updates to obtain fixed Java versions beyond those listed (e.g., Java 8u60+ or later supported releases). Prior to upgrading in production environments, conduct compatibility testing to ensure application functionality.

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
JdkApplication
Affected:= 1.5.0= 1.6.0= 1.7.0= 1.8.0
JreApplication
Affected:= 1.5.0= 1.6.0= 1.7.0= 1.8.0

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
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Partial
Integrity
None
Availability
None

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

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 installed Java version
    Run 'java -version' or 'java -fullversion' from command line to retrieve the installed JRE/JDK version number
    Affected if Version displays as 1.5.0, 1.6.0, 1.7.0, or 1.8.0 (or any update version below 1.5.0u65, 1.6u75, 1.7u60, 1.8u5)
  2. Confirm Java vendor is Oracle
    Verify the version output shows 'Java(TM) SE' or 'Oracle' as the vendor, since this CVE affects only Oracle Java SE
    Affected if Vendor is Oracle Java SE (not OpenJDK, IBM J9, or other implementations)
  3. Determine if Swing component is in use
    Search application code, libraries, or runtime loaded classes for 'javax.swing' package usage or inspect running processes for Swing-based UI applications (look for 'swing' in classpath or loaded modules)
    Affected if Application uses Swing UI components (javax.swing.*) - the vulnerability is specific to the Swing component
  4. Check Java deployment configuration
    Inspect Java Control Panel or deployment.properties file for Swing-related configurations, and review any Java Web Start applications that may load Swing components
    Affected if Swing-based applets or applications are configured or accessible via Java Web Start

User is affected if running Oracle Java SE versions 1.5.0u65 or earlier, 1.6.0u75 or earlier, 1.7.0u60 or earlier, or 1.8.0u5 or earlier AND the application uses Swing components

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply Oracle Critical Patch Updates to obtain fixed Java versions beyond those listed (e.g., Java 8u60+ or later supported releases). Prior to upgrading in production environments, conduct compatibility testing to ensure application functionality.

Fix this in Jdk Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,760
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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-2014-4268 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