-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 National Cyber Awareness System US-CERT Alert TA13-032A Oracle Java 7 Multiple Vulnerabilities Original release date: February 01, 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 before Update 13 are affected. Web browsers using the Java 7 plug-in are at high risk. Overview Multiple vulnerabilities in Java 7 could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code on a vulnerable system. Description The Oracle Java SE Critical Patch Update Advisory for February 2013 addresses multiple vulnerabilities in the Java Runtime Environment (JRE). Both Java applets delivered via web browsers and stand-alone Java applications are affected, however web browsers using the Java 7 plug-in are at particularly high risk. Java 7 versions below Update 13 are affected. The Java 7 plug-in, the Java Deployment Toolkit plug-in, and Java Web Start can be used as attack vectors. 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). Some vulnerabilities affect stand-alone Java applications, depending on how the Java application functions and how it processes untrusted data. Reports indicate that at least one of these vulnerabilities is being actively exploited. Further technical details are available in Vulnerability Note VU#858729. 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. Stand-alone java applications may also be affected. Solution Update Java The Oracle Java SE Critical Patch Update Advisory for February 2013 states that Java 7 Update 13 addresses these vulnerabilities. Disable Java in web browsers These 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, consider disabling Java in web browsers until adequate updates have been installed. As with any software, unnecessary features should be disabled or removed as appropriate for your environment. 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 at least 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. Restrict access to Java applets Network administrators unable to disable Java in web browsers may be able to help mitigate these and other Java vulnerabilities by restricting access to Java applets using a web proxy. Most web proxies have features that can be used to block or whitelist requests for .jar and .class files based on network location. Filtering requests that contain a Java User-Agent header may also be effective. For environments where Java is required on the local intranet, the proxy can be configured to allow access to Java applets hosted locally, but block access to Java applets on the internet. References * Vulnerability Note VU#858729 * Oracle Java SE Critical Patch Update Advisory - February 2013 * Setting the Security Level of the Java Client * The Security Manager * How to disable the Java web plug-in in Safari * How to turn off Java applets * NoScript * Securing Your Web Browser * Vulnerability Note VU#636312 * Java SE Development Kit 7, Update 13 (JDK 7u13) * Do Devs Care About Java (In)Security? (Comment about proxy filtering) Revision History February 01, 2013: Initial release ____________________________________________________________________ Feedback can be directed to US-CERT Technical Staff. Please send email to with "TA13-032A Feedback VU#858729" in the subject. ____________________________________________________________________ Produced by US-CERT, a government organization. ____________________________________________________________________ This product is provided subject to this Notification: http://www.us-cert.gov/privacy/notification.html Privacy & Use policy: http://www.us-cert.gov/privacy/ This document can also be found at http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA13-032A.html For instructions on subscribing to or unsubscribing from this mailing list, visit http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/signup.html -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.5 (GNU/Linux) iQEVAwUBUQw8iHdnhE8Qi3ZhAQLs3gf8DBK95Na7/98Y+KFnmj6WGMq4CYo4yhds yK1okYygTM+Irq1XjHoKNJkxfEoM+m5PJ4uzE1A2WpaWVMxoY/lMV7F0Vypog/ad utBQ/db4icgV+qkmL9Y3WOPtbBv5ahF0h05qB7QdlQnGgYwb5thRtoW2SX5Xi3Vx Md8JchE3cFJkr5EJU8lJFQpnxYfkF8/AL9Z6LKjYr67yyabz/CZ4/N9giQiJ70ZY ZnFKsrw6D+QV6ZpuLMWwVvE5Cqpoa0vvDvtDr3JlcZadmfSdPqM0l/zaGNmhzaQt uWTcvjiZcooP5utiIVvwLjxJc7mWcz5CPK/nsD0jdO9nSTs0YX00ng== =vioI -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----