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GraalvmApplication · Oracle

CVE-2026-22003

MEDIUM · 6.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-04-21
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
60/100
Remediation priority · Elevated

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: 8u481 and 8u481-b50; Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition: 21.3.17. Difficult to exploit vulnerability allows low privileged attacker with logon to the infrastructure where Oracle Java SE, Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition executes to compromise Oracle Java SE, Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition. Successful attacks require human interaction from a person other than the attacker. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized creation, deletion or modification access to critical data or all Oracle Java SE, Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition accessible data and unauthorized ability to cause a hang or frequently repeatable crash (complete DOS) of Oracle Java SE, Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition. 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 3.1 Base Score 6.0 (Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/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 · moderate confidence

Vulnerability in the Oracle Java SE and GraalVM Enterprise Edition Hotspot component (JVM). This is a difficult-to-exploit flaw requiring a low-privileged attacker with local access to the infrastructure where Java executes, plus human interaction from another person. Successful exploitation grants unauthorized modification of critical data and/or denial of service via crashes. Primarily affects client-side sandboxed Java Web Start or applets loading untrusted internet code, not server deployments running only trusted code.

MitigationApply the latest Oracle Java SE and GraalVM updates when available. Avoid running untrusted code in Java applets or Web Start applications. For server deployments, ensure only trusted code is loaded. Restrict local access to systems running Java to reduce the attack surface.

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
GraalvmApplication
Affected:= 21.3.17
JdkApplication
Affected:= 1.8.0
JreApplication
Affected:= 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
Local
Complexity
High
Privileges
Low
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/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' or 'javac -version' from command line to get the exact version string (e.g., 1.8.0_xxx or 21.3.x)
    Affected if Version matches 1.8.0.x or 21.3.17 (exact version match required)
  2. Confirm Java vendor is Oracle
    Check the vendor string from 'java -version' output - look for 'Java(TM)', 'Oracle Java', or check installation path under $JAVA_HOME
    Affected if Java is Oracle JDK, Oracle JRE, or Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition
  3. Verify Hotspot JVM is in use
    Run 'java -version -verbose' or check for 'hotspot' in the JVM info output; also check $JAVA_HOME/jre/bin/server/ for hotspot library files
    Affected if The Hotspot JVM (server VM) is being used rather than alternative JVMs like OpenJ9
  4. Determine if applets or Web Start are enabled
    Check Java Control Panel settings (Windows: Control Panel > Java > Security; Mac: System Preferences > Java > Security) or inspect deployment.properties in $JAVA_HOME/lib/deployment/
    Affected if EnableJavaWebStart is true, or 'deploy.applet.launcher' security settings allow untrusted code execution
  5. Check for untrusted code execution scenarios
    Inspect any deployed applications using Java Web Start (jnlp files) or browser applets; review crontabs, scripts, or services that invoke 'javaws' or load untrusted JARs
    Affected if Java Web Start applications or applets loading code from untrusted sources are in use

User is affected only if running Oracle JDK/JRE 1.8.0 or GraalVM 21.3.17 with Hotspot JVM, AND client-side applets or Java Web Start loading untrusted code is enabled; server deployments with only trusted code are not affected.

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 the latest Oracle Java SE and GraalVM updates when available. Avoid running untrusted code in Java applets or Web Start applications. For server deployments, ensure only trusted code is loaded. Restrict local access to systems running Java to reduce the attack surface.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Oracle Java SE 8u491+ (latest CPU) / GraalVM Enterprise Edition 21.3.18+ or 22.x

  1. 1. Identify the current Java SE or GraalVM Enterprise Edition version in use by running 'java -version' or checking the installation directory
  2. 2. For Oracle Java SE 8: Upgrade to the latest available CPU (Critical Patch Update) release beyond 8u481. Check Oracle's CPU advisory page for the fixed version
  3. 3. For Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition 21.3.17: Upgrade to a later patch version of GraalVM Enterprise Edition 21.3.x or 22.x that includes the security fix
  4. 4. Download the updated JDK/JRE from Oracle's official download portal (requires Oracle support account for Enterprise Edition)
  5. 5. Install the updated version on all affected systems
  6. 6. Verify the installation by running 'java -version' to confirm the new version is active
  7. 7. Test critical applications to ensure compatibility with the updated Java version
Caveat Minor - Oracle Java SE 8 update releases are generally backward compatible, but test critical applications for regressions; some deprecated APIs may be removed in newer CPU releases

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

Fix this in Graalvm Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,390
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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-2026-22003 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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