Oracle Java SE

CVE-2012-4681: Oracle Java SE Runtime Environment (JRE) Arbitrary Code Execution Vulnerability

Is it exploited?

Yes. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 3 Mar 2022, 3,474 days after the CVE record was published.

How likely is exploitation in the next 30 days?

98.5%

EPSS score, percentile 99.9 of all scored records

How severe?

9.8 Critical

CVSS v3.1 base score, from CISA's enrichment of the record

What should I do?

Required action (CISA), due 24 Mar 2022: Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Advisories and patches (4)

Which versions are affected?

Not stated. The CVE record gives vendor and product as “n/a” and the version as “unspecified”.

Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, 2026.10.28, as of 28 Oct 2026; FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), v2026.06.15, as of 28 Oct 2026; CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.

What to do

Required action, set by CISA

Apply updates per vendor instructions.

CISA due date for this action: 24 March 2022.

Advisories and patches

SUSE-SU-2012:1398 (Vendor advisory)
SUSE-SU-2012:1231 (Vendor advisory)
SSRT100970 (Vendor advisory)
RHSA-2012:1225 (Vendor advisory)

Linked from CISA's catalog entry

https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2012-4681

Affected products and versions

The CVE record does not name affected products or versions: vendor and product are “n/a” and the version is “unspecified”.

Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.

About this vulnerability

The Java Runtime Environment (JRE) component in Oracle Java SE allow for remote code execution.

Summary: CISA's KEV catalog, as of 28 Oct 2026.

CISA added CVE-2012-4681 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 3 Mar 2022.
CISA marks it as known to be used in ransomware campaigns.
The due date CISA sets for the required action is 24 Mar 2022.
The CVE record was published on 28 Aug 2012, 3,474 days before it was added to KEV.
The CVE record carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (Critical), taken from CISA's enrichment of the record.
FIRST's EPSS model puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 98.5% (percentile 99.9), as of 28 Oct 2026.
CISA's SSVC assessment in the CVE record: exploitation active, automatable yes, technical impact total.

Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, 2026.10.28, as of 28 Oct 2026; CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026; FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), v2026.06.15, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.

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.

Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.

Weakness

CWE-284: Improper Access Control

CWE and CAPEC are maintained by MITRE; the entries are those named in the CVE record and the KEV entry.

Timeline

Date	Event
28 Aug 2012	CVE record published
3 Mar 2022	Added to CISA KEV
24 Mar 2022	CISA due date for the required action
6 Aug 2026	CVE record last updated

References

TA12-240A (Third-party advisory)
51044 (Third-party advisory)
55213 (Vulnerability database)
blog.fireeye.com
labs.alienvault.com
community.rapid7.com
deependresearch.org
oracle.com

1 more in the CVE record.

More exploited Oracle vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-21962: Oracle HTTP Server and Oracle Weblogic Server Proxy Plug-in Improper Access Control Vulnerability (added 24 Aug 2026)
CVE-2026-46817: Oracle E-Business Suite Improper Privilege Management Vulnerability (added 15 Jul 2026)
CVE-2026-35273: Oracle PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools Missing Authentication for Critical Function Vulnerability (added 12 Jun 2026)
CVE-2024-21182: Oracle WebLogic Server Unspecified Vulnerability (added 1 Jun 2026)
CVE-2025-61757: Oracle Fusion Middleware Missing Authentication for Critical Function Vulnerability (added 21 Nov 2025)
CVE-2025-61884: Oracle E-Business Suite Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) Vulnerability (added 20 Oct 2025)