Sun Microsystems addresses critical Java flaws

The bugs could be exploited to cause a variety of problems, including a denial-of-service attack, the bypassing of certain security restrictions or to compromise a vulnerable system, according to Secunia, a Copenhagen-based leading vulnerability intelligence provider.

The vulnerabilities affect the Java Runtime Environment Virtual Machine, the Java Runtime Environment (JRE), Java Web Start and the Java Plug-in, Secunia said in an advisory on Thursday.

For instance, a pair of flaws in the Java Runtime Environment Virtual Machine can be exploited by a malicious, untrusted applet to read and write files and execute applications locally, according to Secunia. In some circumstances, a bug in JRE can be exploited by untrusted applets or applications to read certain URL resources or potentially execute arbitrary code, thus taking over the computer.

Among the Java Web Start flaws are three boundary errors that can be exploited by an untrusted Java Web Start application to read and write local files and execute local applications. Another bug could be exploited to create files and run applications with the privileges of the user running the untrusted Java Web Start application. Also, a boundary error in Java Web Start could cause a stack-based buffer overflow when a user visits a malicious website.

Other bugs in the Java Runtime Environment could crash the application or allow JavaScript code within a browser to make connections through Java APIs to network services on the local system, Secunia said.

Sun recommends users should upgrade to the following versions: JDK and JRE 6 Update 5; JDK and JRE 5.0 Update 15, and the SDK and JRE 1.4.2_17.

Sun Microsystems did not respond to request for comment.

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