How severe is CVE-2012-4681?

CVE-2012-4681 has a CVSS score of 9.8/10, rated CRITICAL. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which products are affected by CVE-2012-4681?

Affected package information for CVE-2012-4681 is not yet fully mapped. Check the official advisory links for details.

How do I patch CVE-2012-4681?

No patch has shipped for CVE-2012-4681 yet — track the oracle jdk advisory for a fixed release and apply the workarounds below in the meantime.

How do I detect CVE-2012-4681 across my infrastructure?

Inventory every oracle jdk deployment and check each version against the affected-products list above. Because the exploit targets the running system rather than your application code, also watch for remote code execution at the network and runtime layer — O3 flags the exploit behaviour from runtime telemetry and egress traffic even before a vulnerable build is confirmed.

How do I mitigate CVE-2012-4681 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

Cut exposure now: restrict the management/admin interface to trusted networks, segment the device, and apply the vendor's recommended configuration mitigations and any WAF/IPS signature. O3's runtime protection blocks the exploit chain at execution, holding the line on unpatched or end-of-life systems until you can patch.

How does O3 Security protect against CVE-2012-4681?

O3 detects and blocks CVE-2012-4681 exploitation at runtime: eBPF exploit-chain detection, plus L7 egress monitoring that catches the post-exploitation callback and severs the attacker's outbound channel.

Is CVE-2012-4681 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 7 known exploit references for CVE-2012-4681, including 2 documented proof-of-concept exploits on Exploit-DB and 5 in-the-wild exploitations observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2012-4681?

CVE-2012-4681 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 98.5%, placing it in the 100th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A score above 50% indicates significantly elevated exploitation risk — immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Is CVE-2012-4681 in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog?

Yes. CVE-2012-4681 (Oracle Java SE Runtime Environment (JRE) Arbitrary Code Execution Vulnerability) was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 2022-03-03. CISA required all US federal civilian agencies to remediate this vulnerability by 2022-03-24. The required action was: Apply updates per vendor instructions. This CVE has been used in known ransomware campaigns. Being listed in the KEV catalog is the strongest possible confirmation of active exploitation — treat this as a critical priority.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2012-4681?

CVE-2012-4681 is classified as CWE-284 (CWE-284). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation.

Which products and versions are affected by CVE-2012-4681?

CVE-2012-4681 affects oracle jdk (2 versions, e.g. 1.6.0, 1.7.0); oracle jre (2 versions, e.g. 1.6.0, 1.7.0); redhat enterprise linux desktop (1 version, e.g. 6.0); redhat enterprise linux eus (1 version, e.g. 6.3), and 2 more product(s). Check the affected-products list on this page against your deployed version to confirm exposure.

Is there exploit tooling available for CVE-2012-4681?

2 Metasploit modules reference CVE-2012-4681, which lowers the barrier to weaponization. Public exploit tooling significantly increases real-world risk — prioritize patching and ensure detection coverage. Exploit tooling should only ever be used in isolated, authorized testing environments.

When was CVE-2012-4681 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2012-4681 was published on August 28, 2012 and was last updated on June 16, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

CVE-2012-4681: JDK CWE-284 (Critical 9.8)

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

98.5%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Very High Risk100th percentile0.00%

EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.

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.

Affected Products

6 products · 85 configurations

Application

jdkoracle

2 versions

1.6.01.7.0

Application

jreoracle

2 versions

1.6.01.7.0

OS

enterprise linux desktopredhat

1 version

6.0

OS

enterprise linux eusredhat

1 version

6.3

OS

enterprise linux serverredhat

1 version

6.0

OS

enterprise linux workstationredhat

1 version

6.0

Detection & mitigation playbook

Vendor / appliance

Detect
Inventory every oracle jdk deployment and check each version against the affected-products list above. Because the exploit targets the running system rather than your application code, also watch for remote code execution at the network and runtime layer — O3 flags the exploit behaviour from runtime telemetry and egress traffic even before a vulnerable build is confirmed.
Remediation status
No patch has shipped for CVE-2012-4681 yet — track the oracle jdk advisory for a fixed release and apply the workarounds below in the meantime.
Mitigate without a patch
Cut exposure now: restrict the management/admin interface to trusted networks, segment the device, and apply the vendor's recommended configuration mitigations and any WAF/IPS signature. O3's runtime protection blocks the exploit chain at execution, holding the line on unpatched or end-of-life systems until you can patch.
How O3 protects you
O3 detects and blocks CVE-2012-4681 exploitation at runtime: eBPF exploit-chain detection, plus L7 egress monitoring that catches the post-exploitation callback and severs the attacker's outbound channel.

Tailored to CVE-2012-4681. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.

Frequently Asked Questions

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.cl

O3 Security · Runtime Protection

Is CVE-2012-4681 being exploited in your environment?

O3's eBPF runtime sensors and L7 egress monitoring detect and block the CVE-2012-4681 exploit chain at execution — protecting unpatched and end-of-life systems until the vendor patch is applied.

Protect my workloads How runtime protection works

CVE-2012-4681

EPSS Exploitation Probability

Description

Affected Products

Detection & mitigation playbook

Detect

Remediation status

Mitigate without a patch

How O3 protects you

Frequently Asked Questions

Is CVE-2012-4681 being exploited in your environment?