CVE-2008-3111

CVE-2008-3111 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Sun Jdk with a CVSS 2.0 base score of 10.0. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-20.

Key facts

Description

Multiple buffer overflows in Sun Java Web Start in JDK and JRE 6 before Update 4, JDK and JRE 5.0 before Update 16, and SDK and JRE 1.4.x before 1.4.2_18 allow context-dependent attackers to gain privileges via an untrusted application, as demonstrated by (a) an application that grants itself privileges to (1) read local files, (2) write to local files, or (3) execute local programs; and as demonstrated by (b) a long value associated with a java-vm-args attribute in a j2se tag in a JNLP file, which triggers a stack-based buffer overflow in the GetVMArgsOption function; aka CR 6557220.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2008-3111?
Multiple buffer overflows in Sun Java Web Start in JDK and JRE 6 before Update 4, JDK and JRE 5.0 before Update 16, and SDK and JRE 1.4.x before 1.4.2_18 allow context-dependent attackers to gain privileges via an untrusted application, as demonstrated by (a) an application that grants itself privileges to (1) read local files, (2) write to local files, or (3) execute local programs; and as demonstrated by (b) a long value associated with a java-vm-args attribute in a j2se tag in a JNLP file, which triggers a stack-based buffer overflow in the GetVMArgsOption function; aka CR 6557220.
How severe is CVE-2008-3111?
CVE-2008-3111 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 10.0, rated critical severity.
Is CVE-2008-3111 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 4% (90th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2008-3111?
CVE-2008-3111 primarily affects Sun Jdk. In total, 73 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2008-3111?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2008-3111 published?
CVE-2008-3111 was published on 2008-07-09 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

References

Affected products (73)

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