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SatelliteApplication · Redhat

CVE-2016-0376

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-06-03
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
90/100
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
The com.ibm.rmi.io.SunSerializableFactory class in IBM SDK, Java Technology Edition 6 before SR16 FP25 (6.0.16.25), 6 R1 before SR8 FP25 (6.1.8.25), 7 before SR9 FP40 (7.0.9.40), 7 R1 before SR3 FP40 (7.1.3.40), and 8 before SR3 (8.0.3.0) does not properly deserialize classes in an AccessController doPrivileged block, which allows remote attackers to bypass a sandbox protection mechanism and execute arbitrary code as demonstrated by the readValue method of the com.ibm.rmi.io.ValueHandlerPool.ValueHandlerSingleton class, which implements the javax.rmi.CORBA.ValueHandler interface. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2013-5456.

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

This is a deserialization vulnerability in the IBM Java SDK where the SunSerializableFactory class improperly handles class deserialization within an AccessController doPrivileged block. Attackers can exploit the readValue method in ValueHandlerPool.ValueHandlerSingleton to bypass Java's sandbox protection and execute arbitrary code. The vulnerability stems from an incomplete fix for CVE-2013-5456.

MitigationUpdate IBM Java SDK to the fixed versions: 6.0.16.25+, 6.1.8.25+, 7.0.9.40+, 7.1.3.40+, or 8.0.3.0+ to patch the deserialization flaw.

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
SatelliteApplication
Affected:= 5.6= 5.7
Enterprise Linux DesktopOperating system
Affected:= 5.0= 6.0= 7.0
Enterprise Linux Hpc Node SupplementaryOperating system
Affected:= 6.0= 7.0
Enterprise Linux ServerOperating system
Affected:= 6.0= 7.0
Enterprise Linux Server EusOperating system
Affected:= 6.7= 7.2= 7.3= 7.4= 7.5
Enterprise Linux WorkstationOperating system
Affected:= 5.0= 6.0= 7.0
Suse Linux Enterprise Software Development KitApplication
Affected:= 11.0= 12.0
Suse Linux Enterprise Module For Legacy SoftwareOperating system
Affected:= 12

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
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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 SDK is installed
    Run 'java -version' and look for 'IBM' in the output, or check for IBM J9 JVM installation directories such as /opt/ibm/java-* or /usr/lib/jvm/java-ibm*
    Affected if The output shows IBM Java SDK or J9 JVM rather than Oracle/OpenJDK
  2. Determine the exact IBM Java SDK version
    Run 'java -version 2>&1' or use 'java -XshowSettings:version -version' to extract the full version string (e.g., 6.0.16.x, 7.0.9.x, 8.0.3.x)
    Affected if The installed version matches one of the affected product/version ranges listed and is below the fixed versions (6.0.16.25, 6.1.8.25, 7.0.9.40, 7.1.3.40, 8.0.3.0)
  3. Verify the vulnerable SunSerializableFactory class is present
    Search for the IBM Java SDK jars in the installation directory and check for the presence of the SunSerializableFactory class, typically found in the ibmjsseprovider2.jar or similar IBM-specific security jars
    Affected if The vulnerable SunSerializableFactory class exists in the IBM Java SDK installation and the version is in the affected range
  4. Confirm ValueHandlerPool.ValueHandlerSingleton is accessible
    Inspect the IBM Java SDK classpath for valuehandlerpool.jar or equivalent deserialization handling classes that contain the readValue method in ValueHandlerSingleton
    Affected if The ValueHandlerPool.ValueHandlerSingleton class with the vulnerable readValue method is present in the runtime classpath

The environment is affected if IBM Java SDK is installed with a version below 6.0.16.25, 6.1.8.25, 7.0.9.40, 7.1.3.40, or 8.0.3.0, matching one of the listed Red Hat or SUSE product versions.

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

Update IBM Java SDK to the fixed versions: 6.0.16.25+, 6.1.8.25+, 7.0.9.40+, 7.1.3.40+, or 8.0.3.0+ to patch the deserialization flaw.

Fix this in Satellite 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-2016-0376 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