JdkApplication · Oracle

CVE-2015-4903

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2015-10-22

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

NVD · unedited

Unspecified vulnerability in Oracle Java SE 6u101, 7u85, and 8u60, and Java SE Embedded 8u51, allows remote attackers to affect confidentiality via vectors related to RMI.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · low confidence

This is an unspecified vulnerability in Oracle Java SE versions 6u101, 7u85, 8u60 and Java SE Embedded 8u51 affecting the RMI (Remote Method Invocation) subsystem. Remote attackers can exploit this to impact confidentiality, though the exact technical details of the vulnerability are not specified in the CVE description.

MitigationApply Oracle Critical Patch Updates to upgrade affected Java installations to patched versions. If upgrading is not immediately possible, restrict network access to RMI endpoints and disable the RMI registry if not required.

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

JdkApplication

Affected:= 1.6.0= 1.7.0= 1.8.0

JreApplication

Affected:= 1.6.0= 1.7.0= 1.8.0

CVSS breakdown

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?

dbcve checks

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

Identify installed Java version

Run 'java -version' or 'java -fullversion' from the command line to determine the exact Java version installed. Also check JAVA_HOME environment variable to locate the JDK/JRE installation directory.

Affected if The version matches 1.6.0, 1.7.0, or 1.8.0 exactly (such as 1.6.0_101, 1.7.0_85, 1.8.0_60). Compare your version against the affected ranges.
Determine if RMI subsystem is in use

Search configuration files and application deployments for RMI-related code, including java.rmi packages, Naming.lookup() calls, Remote interface implementations, and UnicastRemoteObject usage. Review application startup scripts for RMI-related JVM arguments.

Affected if The system uses Java RMI for distributed communication or remote object registration.
Check if RMI registry is exposed

Inspect running processes for RMI registry ports (typically port 1099) using 'netstat -an' or 'lsof -i'. Review firewall rules and network configurations to determine if RMI ports are accessible from untrusted networks.

Affected if The RMI registry is running and bound to a network interface accessible from external or untrusted networks.
Review RMI security manager configuration

Examine Java policy files (java.policy) and application security configurations to determine if a SecurityManager is enforced for RMI operations. Check whether the codebase implements proper RMI permission controls.

Affected if No SecurityManager is configured or RMI code executes with elevated privileges without proper access controls.

You are affected if you run Oracle JDK or JRE versions 1.6.0, 1.7.0, or 1.8.0 AND have the RMI subsystem enabled or exposed on your system.

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

Remediation

From vendor data

Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime

Mitigation

Apply Oracle Critical Patch Updates to upgrade affected Java installations to patched versions. If upgrading is not immediately possible, restrict network access to RMI endpoints and disable the RMI registry if not required.

Fix this in Jdk Scoped from the published advisory

Consultation4.0 h
Implementation8.0 h
Testing6.0 h
Review / QA2.0 h

20.0 hours of engineering $3,500

Get help mitigating

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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-2015-4903 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2015-4903?

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 existsA vendor remedy is published

Severity 5.0 Medium

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 4.0%

Affects: Jdk

Remediation

Need this fixed?

Fix this in Jdk 20 hrs · Moderate

Typical engagement from $3,500

Get a fix See the full breakdown ↓

We specialise in CVE remediation. Send your environment and we’ll scope CVE-2015-4903 and return a fixed quote.

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