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Ubuntu LinuxOperating system · Canonical

CVE-2016-0494

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2016-01-21
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
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 Java SE and Java SE Embedded components in Oracle Java SE 6u105, 7u91, and 8u66 and Java SE Embedded 8u65 allows remote attackers to affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability via unknown vectors related to 2D.

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

Unspecified vulnerability in the Java SE 2D graphics subsystem allows remote attackers to achieve complete compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The flaw resides in unspecified vectors within the Java 2D rendering code, enabling remote code execution without authentication.

MitigationApply Oracle Critical Patch Updates: upgrade to Java 6u111+, 7u95+, 8u77+ or later versions. For systems unable to update immediately, disable Java browser plugins and restrict network exposure to untrusted sources.

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
Ubuntu LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 12.04= 14.04= 15.04= 15.10
JdkApplication
Affected:= 1.6.0= 1.7.0= 1.8.0
JreApplication
Affected:= 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
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:L/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 installed JRE/JDK version
    Run 'java -version' or 'java -fullversion' from command line. For packaged Ubuntu Java, also check '/usr/lib/jvm/' directory contents or use 'dpkg -l | grep -i openjdk' or 'update-alternatives --list java'
    Affected if Version equals 1.6.0, 1.7.0, or 1.8.0, or falls below 1.6.0u111, 1.7.0u95, or 1.8.0u77 respectively
  2. Confirm Java vendor is Oracle
    Check the output of 'java -version' for Oracle, OpenJDK, or other vendor string. Oracle JDK/JRE installations typically show 'Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment' or 'Oracle Corporation'
    Affected if Running Oracle Java (Sun-derived) versions 1.6.0, 1.7.0, or 1.8.0 without the fixed patch updates
  3. Check Ubuntu base OS version if using Ubuntu packages
    Run 'lsb_release -a' or check '/etc/lsb-release' to confirm Ubuntu version
    Affected if Running Ubuntu 12.04, 14.04, 15.04, or 15.10 with Oracle Java installed
  4. Verify Java 2D rendering is in use
    The vulnerability exists in the Java 2D subsystem. Applications using Java's graphics rendering (AWT, Swing, Java2D) are affected. Check if any Java applications with GUI or image processing are running using 'ps aux | grep java' or 'jps -l'
    Affected if Any Java application is running that utilizes Java 2D graphics capabilities (this includes most Java GUI applications and applets)
  5. Check for Java browser plugin exposure
    Examine browser configuration or Java control panel: Linux - check ~/.mozilla/plugins/ or /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins/ for 'libnpjp2.so' (Java Plug-in). Also check 'java -version' and any appletviewer usage
    Affected if Java browser plugin is installed and enabled, increasing attack surface for remote exploitation

You are affected if you are running Oracle Java or OpenJDK versions 1.6.0, 1.7.0, or 1.8.0 (or Ubuntu-packaged Java on affected Ubuntu versions) without having applied the Oracle Critical Patch Update fixes (versions prior to 6u111, 7u95, or 8u77).

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

Apply Oracle Critical Patch Updates: upgrade to Java 6u111+, 7u95+, 8u77+ or later versions. For systems unable to update immediately, disable Java browser plugins and restrict network exposure to untrusted sources.

Recommended fix High confidence

Java SE 6u105, 7u91, 8u66 or later / Java SE Embedded 8u65 or later

  1. Update Oracle Java SE to version 6u105, 7u91, 8u66 or later
  2. Update Java SE Embedded to version 8u65 or later
  3. For Ubuntu systems, run 'apt-get update && apt-get upgrade' to obtain patched Java packages
  4. Verify the update was successful by running 'java -version' and confirming the updated version number
Caveat Java minor version updates rarely introduce breaking changes but may require application testing

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

Fix this in Ubuntu Linux Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,040
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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-2016-0494 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