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Debian LinuxOperating system · Debian

CVE-2023-21954

MEDIUM · 5.9 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-04-18
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 8 or later.
See remediation →
68/100
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
Vulnerability in the Oracle Java SE, Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition product of Oracle Java SE (component: Hotspot). Supported versions that are affected are Oracle Java SE: 8u361, 8u361-perf, 11.0.18, 17.0.6; Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition: 20.3.9, 21.3.5 and 22.3.1. Difficult to exploit vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via multiple protocols to compromise Oracle Java SE, Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized access to critical data or complete access to all Oracle Java SE, Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition accessible data. 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 can also be exploited by using APIs in the specified Component, e.g., through a web service which supplies data to the APIs. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 5.9 (Confidentiality impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N).

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

Vulnerability in the Oracle Java SE Hotspot component allows unauthenticated attackers with network access to compromise the JVM and gain unauthorized access to critical data. The flaw is difficult to exploit due to attack complexity, but requires no privileges. It affects sandboxed Java Web Start applications and applets, as well as APIs that process untrusted code.

MitigationApply the latest Oracle Critical Patch Update (CPU) for the respective Java version (8u361+, 11.0.18+, 17.0.6+) or upgrade to a supported LTS version. Verify the update in all Java deployment environments.

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
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 10.0= 11.0= 12.0
OpenjdkApplication
Affected:< 8>= 11, <= 11.0.18>= 17, <= 17.0.6= 8= 20
GraalvmApplication
Affected:= 20.3.9= 21.3.5= 22.3.1
JdkApplication
Affected:= 1.8.0= 11.0.18= 17.0.6
JreApplication
Affected:= 1.8.0= 11.0.18= 17.0.6
7 Mode Transition ToolApplication
Affected:all versions
Brocade San NavigatorApplication
Affected:all versions
Cloud Insights Acquisition UnitApplication
Affected:all versions

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
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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 the command line to display the installed JRE/JDK version and update number
    Affected if Version displayed is 1.8.0, 11.0.18, 17.0.6, 20, or any version matching the affected ranges (8, 11.x <= 11.0.18, 17.x <= 17.0.6, 20)
  2. Confirm Java vendor and type
    Run 'java -version' and check if the vendor is Oracle JDK, Oracle JRE, Oracle OpenJDK, or check if running on Debian Linux with bundled Java
    Affected if Vendor is Oracle (JDK/JRE) or Oracle OpenJDK, or Java is from Debian packages on versions 10.0, 11.0, or 12.0
  3. Determine if Java Web Start or applets are in use
    Check for .jnlp (Java Web Start) files, look for 'javaws' command availability, or search deployment configuration files in lib/deployment.properties for applet settings
    Affected if Java Web Start (javaws) is available or applets are configured in the Java deployment configuration
  4. Check for code that processes untrusted input
    Review application code and configuration for use of ClassLoader, Reflection API, or custom bytecode loading mechanisms that process untrusted code or deserialized data
    Affected if Application loads or executes untrusted bytecode, uses custom ClassLoader implementations, or processes untrusted serialized data
  5. Verify if running under security manager
    Run 'java -verbose:class' 2>&1 | head or check if -javaagent or security manager flags are present in the Java process command line
    Affected if Java runs with a security manager enabled or the application processes untrusted code without additional sandboxing

Environment is affected if running any Oracle JDK/JRE/OpenJDK version 1.8.0, 11.0.18, 17.0.6, or 20 (or any version within the specified ranges), or Java from Debian 10/11/12, AND the system runs Java Web Start applications, applets, or processes untrusted code.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 8 or later
Fixed in 8
Interim mitigation

Apply the latest Oracle Critical Patch Update (CPU) for the respective Java version (8u361+, 11.0.18+, 17.0.6+) or upgrade to a supported LTS version. Verify the update in all Java deployment environments.

Recommended fix High confidence

Oracle Java SE 8u371+/11.0.19+/17.0.7+ or Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition 20.3.10+/21.3.6+/22.3.2+

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed Java/JDK version by running 'java -version' or 'javac -version'
  2. 2. For Oracle Java SE / JDK / JRE: Upgrade to Oracle Java SE 8u371 or later, 11.0.19 or later, or 17.0.7 or later
  3. 3. For Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition: Upgrade to 20.3.10 or later, 21.3.6 or later, or 22.3.2 or later
  4. 4. For Debian systems: Run 'apt-get update && apt-get upgrade' to install Debian security patches for OpenJDK packages
  5. 5. Verify the upgrade was successful by running 'java -version' and confirming the version number matches or exceeds the fixed versions
  6. 6. Restart any Java applications or services to ensure they use the updated JVM
Caveat Minor update within same major version; backward compatibility expected. Note: Oracle Java SE 8 is now under Oracle No-Fee Terms and Conditions license rather than the old Oracle Binary Code License.

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

Fix this in Debian 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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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2023-21954 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