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OpenjdkApplication · Oracle

CVE-2020-2803

HIGH · 8.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-04-15
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 13.0.2 or later.
See remediation →
90/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges

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
Vulnerability in the Java SE, Java SE Embedded product of Oracle Java SE (component: Libraries). Supported versions that are affected are Java SE: 7u251, 8u241, 11.0.6 and 14; Java SE Embedded: 8u241. Difficult to exploit vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via multiple protocols to compromise Java SE, Java SE Embedded. Successful attacks require human interaction from a person other than the attacker and while the vulnerability is in Java SE, Java SE Embedded, attacks may significantly impact additional products. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in takeover of Java SE, Java SE Embedded. Note: This vulnerability applies to Java deployments, typically in clients running sandboxed Java Web Start applications or sandboxed Java applets, that load and run untrusted code (e.g., code that comes from the internet) and rely on the Java sandbox for security. This vulnerability does not apply to Java deployments, typically in servers, that load and run only trusted code (e.g., code installed by an administrator). CVSS 3.0 Base Score 8.3 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H).

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 vulnerability in the Java SE Libraries component that allows unauthenticated remote attackers to achieve complete takeover of affected Java deployments. The flaw is exploitable via network protocols but requires human interaction (e.g., a user visiting a malicious website with a Java Web Start application or applet). Successful exploitation bypasses the Java sandbox security model, enabling arbitrary code execution.

MitigationApply the relevant Oracle Critical Patch Update (CPU) for July 2020 or later, which patches the affected Java versions (7u251+, 8u241+, 11.0.6+, 14+). For server-side deployments, ensure only trusted code is loaded. For client deployments, consider disabling Java Web Start and applets 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 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
OpenjdkApplication
Affected:>= 11, <= 11.0.6>= 13, <= 13.0.2= 7= 8= 14
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 8.0= 9.0= 10.0
FedoraOperating system
Affected:= 30= 31= 32
Ubuntu LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 16.04= 18.04= 19.10
JdkApplication
Affected:= 1.7.0= 1.8.0= 11.0.6= 14.0.0
JreApplication
Affected:= 1.7.0= 1.8.0= 11.0.6= 14.0.0
7 Mode Transition ToolApplication
Affected:all versions
Active Iq Unified ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 7.3>= 9.5

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
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/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 installed Java version
    Run 'java -version' and/or 'javac -version' from command line to get the exact Java version number. Also check the JAVA_HOME environment variable and any java installation directories for version markers.
    Affected if The installed version matches one of the affected versions: Oracle OpenJDK 7, 8, 11.0.6 or below, 13.0.2 or below, 14; Oracle JDK 1.7.0, 1.8.0, 11.0.6, 14.0.0; Oracle JRE 1.7.0, 1.8.0, 11.0.6, 14.0.0
  2. Determine Java vendor implementation
    Check whether the installed Java is Oracle JDK, Oracle JRE, or OpenJDK by examining the vendor string from 'java -version' output or checking installed package details via system package manager (dpkg, rpm, apt).
    Affected if The vendor is Oracle JDK, Oracle JRE, or OpenJDK and the version falls within the affected ranges listed in step 1
  3. Check if Java Web Start is available
    Run 'which javaws' or look for the javaws executable in the Java installation bin directory. Also check for any deployed Java Web Start applications in user directories.
    Affected if Java Web Start (javaws) is present and enabled on the system - this is the primary attack vector for this CVE
  4. Verify browser Java plugin status
    Check browser plugin settings for Java Applet plugin. On Linux, examine ~/.mozilla/plugins or /usr/lib/browser-plugins directories. On Windows, check browser add-on settings.
    Affected if Browser Java plugin (for applets) is enabled - this is an alternative attack vector alongside Web Start
  5. Confirm network-exposed Java usage
    Review any deployed applications that use Java network protocols (RMI, IIOP, JNDI) that might process untrusted data from network sources.
    Affected if Java applications process untrusted network data AND run on an affected version with Web Start or applets enabled

You are affected if you have an installed Java version within the affected ranges (OpenJDK 7, 8, 11.0.6 or below, 13.0.2 or below, 14; Oracle JDK/JRE 1.7.0, 1.8.0, 11.0.6, 14.0.0) AND have Java Web Start or browser applets enabled, as exploitation requires user interaction with these features.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 13.0.2
Interim mitigation

Apply the relevant Oracle Critical Patch Update (CPU) for July 2020 or later, which patches the affected Java versions (7u251+, 8u241+, 11.0.6+, 14+). For server-side deployments, ensure only trusted code is loaded. For client deployments, consider disabling Java Web Start and applets if not required.

Fix this in Openjdk 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
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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-2020-2803 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