CVE-2012-4681
9.8 · CRITICAL Actively ExploitedOverview
CVE-2012-4681 is a critical-severity vulnerability affecting oracle jdk. It was published on August 28, 2012 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL). This vulnerability is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, indicating active exploitation in the wild.
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8, rated CRITICAL. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.
Technical Description
Multiple vulnerabilities in the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) component in Oracle Java SE 7 Update 6 and earlier allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted applet that bypasses SecurityManager restrictions by (1) using com.sun.beans.finder.ClassFinder.findClass and leveraging an exception with the forName method to access restricted classes from arbitrary packages such as sun.awt.SunToolkit, then (2) using "reflection with a trusted immediate caller" to leverage the getField method to access and modify private fields, as exploited in the wild in August 2012 using Gondzz.class and Gondvv.class.
Remediation
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from oracle. Update jdk to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status |
|---|
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2012-4681?
CVE-2012-4681 is a critical-severity vulnerability affecting oracle jdk. It was published on August 28, 2012 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL). This vulnerability is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, indicating active exploitation in the wild.
How severe is CVE-2012-4681?
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8, rated CRITICAL. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.
How do I fix or remediate CVE-2012-4681?
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from oracle. Update jdk to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2012-4681?
CyberStrike's AI-powered security agents can automatically detect CVE-2012-4681 across your infrastructure using autonomous pentesting, DAST scanning, and HackBrowser. The platform continuously monitors for known vulnerabilities and provides actionable remediation guidance prioritized by real-world exploitability.
How CyberStrike Helps
AI agents map your attack surface to find vulnerabilities like this one.
Automated penetration testing that runs continuously, not just quarterly.
AI-driven PR review catches vulnerable dependencies before they ship.
Browser-based exploitation validates findings with real proof-of-concept.
Related CRITICAL CVEs from 2012
View all →The VMX process in VMware ESXi 3.5 through 4.1 and ESX 3.5 through 4.1 does not properly handle RPC
The ExceptionDelegator component in Apache Struts before 2.2.3.1 interprets parameter values as OGNL
Adobe Reader and Acrobat before 9.5, and 10.x before 10.1.2, on Windows and Mac OS X allow attackers
Adobe Reader and Acrobat before 9.5, and 10.x before 10.1.2, on Windows and Mac OS X allow attackers
Schneider Electric Modicon Quantum PLC does not perform authentication between the Unity software an
Unspecified vulnerability in the Oracle WebCenter Forms Recognition component in Oracle Fusion Middl
sapi/cgi/cgi_main.c in PHP before 5.3.12 and 5.4.x before 5.4.2, when configured as a CGI script (ak
Unspecified vulnerability in the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) component in Oracle Java SE 7 Update
Unspecified vulnerability in the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) component in Oracle Java SE 7 update
Heap-based buffer overflow in Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) 2.8 SP1 and SP2 and Windows Da
TikiWiki CMS/Groupware before 6.7 LTS and before 8.4 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary PH
The installation script in Katello 1.0 and earlier does not properly generate the Application.config