CVE-2013-0422
CVE-2013-0422 is a security flaw in Oracle Java Runtime Environment (JRE), which runs apps on computers and servers. Attackers can run their own code on Oracle Java Runtime Environment (JRE). The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks on 25 May 2022, and says ransomware gangs have used it.[1]
Oracle Java Runtime Environment (JRE) is in things households have, such as phones, computers, browsers and everyday apps, so the fix matters at home as much as at work.
Description
CISA calls it a JRE remote code execution in Oracle Java Runtime Environment (JRE). In its words: “A vulnerability in the way Java restricts the permissions of Java applets could allow an attacker to execute commands on a vulnerable system.”[1]
The CVE record adds: “Multiple vulnerabilities in Oracle Java 7 before Update 11 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by (1) using the public getMBeanInstantiator method in the JmxMBeanServer class to obtain a reference to a private MBeanInstantiator object, then retrieving arbitrary Class references using the findClass method, and (2) using the Reflection API with recursion in a way that bypasses a security check by the java.lang.invoke.MethodHandles.Lookup.checkSecurityManager method due to the inability of the sun.reflect.Reflection.getCallerClass method to skip frames related to the new reflection API, as exploited in the wild in January 2013, as demonstrated by Blackhole and Nuclear Pack, and a different vulnerability than CVE-2012-4681 and CVE-2012-3174. NOTE: some parties have mapped the recursive Reflection API issue to CVE-2012-3174, but CVE-2012-3174 is for a…”[2]
The underlying weakness is permissions and access control (CWE-264), in MITRE’s list of common software weaknesses.
It scores 9.8 out of 10 on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System, which rates it critical, scored by the organisation that published the CVE using CVSS 3.1.[2]
Affected versions
NVD’s record doesn’t list version ranges for it. CISA names the product as Oracle Java Runtime Environment (JRE).
Every device with Oracle Java Runtime Environment (JRE) needs the update.
Exploitation
CISA added it to its catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities on 25 May 2022, 3,422 days after it was made public. CISA lists a flaw only when it has reliable evidence of it being exploited, and gave US federal agencies until 15 Jun 2022 to fix it.[1] CISA says ransomware gangs have used it.
FIRST’s Exploit Prediction Scoring System, which estimates how likely a flaw is to be used in attacks in the next 30 days from what it sees across the internet, puts it at 97%. That’s in the top 1% of the flaws it scores.[3]
CISA assesses it as automatable: attackers can run it against many targets at once.
CISA doesn’t say who was attacked, or how.
Fix
CISA’s required action: “Apply updates per vendor instructions.”[1]
- Update Oracle Java Runtime Environment (JRE) now.Install the latest update from Oracle on every device that has it, and restart when asked. Then turn on automatic updates, so the next fix arrives on its own.
- If there’s no update, stop using it.CISA’s advice when a flaw being used in attacks has no fix is to stop using the product until it does.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| The flaw is made public in the National Vulnerability Database, with a severity score of 9.8.[2] | |
| CISA adds it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks, noting that ransomware gangs have used it.[1] | |
| CISA’s deadline for US government agencies to fix it.[1] | |
| FIRST puts the odds of it being used in attacks in the next 30 days at 97%.[3] |
See also
Other Oracle Java Runtime Environment (JRE) flaws
- CVE-2013-2423: JRE unspecified ·
- CVE-2013-0431: JRE sandbox bypass ·
- CVE-2010-0840: JRE unspecified ·
Other Oracle flaws
- CVE-2026-21962, Oracle HTTP Server and Oracle Weblogic Server Proxy Plug-in: improper access control ·
- CVE-2026-46817, Oracle E-Business Suite: improper privilege management ·
- CVE-2026-35273, Oracle PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools: missing authentication for critical function ·
- CVE-2024-21182, Oracle WebLogic Server: unspecified ·
- CVE-2025-61757, Oracle Fusion Middleware: missing authentication for critical function ·
Other permissions and access control flaws
- CVE-2015-3246, Red Hat Libuser: race condition ·
- CVE-2013-0643, Adobe Flash Player: incorrect default permissions ·
- CVE-2016-0165, Microsoft Win32k: privilege escalation ·
- CVE-2015-6175, Microsoft Windows: kernel privilege escalation ·
- CVE-2015-1769, Microsoft Windows: mount manager privilege escalation ·
Added the same day
- CVE-2019-3010, Oracle Solaris: privilege escalation ·
- CVE-2016-7256, Microsoft Windows: open type font remote code execution ·
- CVE-2016-3393, Microsoft Windows: graphics device interface (GDI) remote code execution ·
- CVE-2016-1010, Adobe Flash Player and AIR: integer overflow ·
- CVE-2016-0984, Adobe Flash Player and AIR: use-after-free ·
Every Oracle flaw on CISA’s list · Everything added in May 2022
References
- ^ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “Oracle JRE Remote Code Execution Vulnerability”. Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, added 25 May 2022.
- ^ National Institute of Standards and Technology. “CVE-2013-0422 Detail”. National Vulnerability Database, published 10 Jan 2013.
- ^ FIRST. “Exploit Prediction Scoring System”. EPSS 0.970, percentile 99.9, 31 Oct 2026.
- CVE Program. “CVE-2013-0422”. The official CVE record.
This article is built from CISA’s catalog (version 2026.10.30), NVD’s record and FIRST’s scores, kept in HARD’s database and checked every morning. The plain English is HARD’s.