Technical Cyber Security Alert 2013-10A - A vulnerability in the way Java 7 restricts the permissions of Java applets could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary commands on a vulnerable system.
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National Cyber Awareness System
US-CERT Alert TA13-010A
Oracle Java 7 Security Manager Bypass Vulnerability
Original release date: January 10, 2013
Last revised: --
Systems Affected
Any system using Oracle Java 7 (1.7, 1.7.0) including
* Java Platform Standard Edition 7 (Java SE 7)
* Java SE Development Kit (JDK 7)
* Java SE Runtime Environment (JRE 7)
All versions of Java 7 through update 10 are affected. Web
browsers using the Java 7 plug-in are at high risk.
Overview
A vulnerability in the way Java 7 restricts the permissions of Java
applets could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary commands on a
vulnerable system.
Description
A vulnerability in the Java Security Manager allows a Java applet
to grant itself permission to execute arbitrary code. An attacker
could use social engineering techniques to entice a user to visit a
link to a website hosting a malicious Java applet. An attacker
could also compromise a legitimate web site and upload a malicious
Java applet (a "drive-by download" attack).
Any web browser using the Java 7 plug-in is affected. The Java
Deployment Toolkit plug-in and Java Web Start can also be used as
attack vectors.
Reports indicate this vulnerability is being actively exploited,
and exploit code is publicly available.
Further technical details are available in Vulnerability Note
VU#625617.
Impact
By convincing a user to load a malicious Java applet or Java
Network Launching Protocol (JNLP) file, an attacker could execute
arbitrary code on a vulnerable system with the privileges of the
Java plug-in process.
Solution
Disable Java in web browsers
This and previous Java vulnerabilities have been widely targeted by
attackers, and new Java vulnerabilities are likely to be
discovered. To defend against this and future Java vulnerabilities,
disable Java in web browsers.
Starting with Java 7 Update 10, it is possible to disable Java
content in web browsers through the Java control panel applet. From
Setting the Security Level of the Java Client:
For installations where the highest level of security is required,
it is possible to entirely prevent any Java apps (signed or
unsigned) from running in a browser by de-selecting Enable Java
content in the browser in the Java Control Panel under the Security
tab.
If you are unable to update to Java 7 Update 10 please see the
solution section of Vulnerability Note VU#636312 for instructions
on how to disable Java on a per browser basis.
References
* Vulnerability Note VU#625617
<http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/625617>
* Setting the Security Level of the Java Client
<http://docs.oracle.com/javase/7/docs/technotes/guides/jweb/client-security.html>
* The Security Manager
<http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/essential/environment/security.html>
* How to disable the Java web plug-in in Safari
<https://support.apple.com/kb/HT5241>
* How to turn off Java applets
<https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/How%20to%20turn%20off%20Java%20applets>
* NoScript
<http://noscript.net/>
* Securing Your Web Browser
<https://www.us-cert.gov/reading_room/securing_browser/#Safari>
* Vulnerability Note VU#636312
<http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/636312#solution>
Revision History
January 10, 2013: Initial release
____________________________________________________________________
Feedback can be directed to US-CERT Technical Staff. Please send
email to <cert@cert.org> with "TA13-010A Feedback VU#625617" in
the subject.
____________________________________________________________________
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