CVE-2024-21208VulnerabilityPublished 15 Oct 2024Updated 3 Nov 2025

CVE-2024-21208: Oracle Java SE · Difficult to exploit vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via multiple

Affects Oracle Java SESource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 3.7 Low.

Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

3.7Low

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 1.0% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 62% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: High
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: None
Integrity: None
Availability: Low

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: High: A successful attack depends on conditions beyond the attacker's control. That is, a successful attack cannot be accomplished at will, but requires the attacker to invest in some measurable amount of effort in preparation or execution against the vulnerable component before a successful attack can be expected. For example, a successful attack may require an attacker to: gather knowledge about the environment in which the vulnerable target/component exists; prepare the target environment to improve exploit reliability; or inject themselves into the logical network path between the target and the resource requested by the victim in order to read and/or modify network communications (e.g., a man in the middle attack).
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the impacted component.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: Low: Performance is reduced or there are interruptions in resource availability. Even if repeated exploitation of the vulnerability is possible, the attacker does not have the ability to completely deny service to legitimate users. The resources in the impacted component are either partially available all of the time, or fully available only some of the time, but overall there is no direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 15 Oct 2024
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-25.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

AI-suggested

European organizations should implement the following specific mitigations: 1) Inventory and identify all Java SE and GraalVM deployments, focusing on client-side applications that run untrusted code such as Java Web Start and applets. 2) Restrict network access to Java client applications where feasible, limiting exposure to untrusted networks and protocols that could be used to exploit the vulnerability. 3) Disable or remove legacy Java Web Start and applet technologies where possible, migrating to modern, supported application delivery methods. 4) Monitor Oracle security advisories closely for official patches or updates addressing CVE-2024-21208 and apply them promptly once available. 5) Employ network-level protections such as intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS) to detect anomalous traffic patterns targeting Java networking components. 6) Educate users and administrators about the risks of running untrusted Java code and enforce strict sandboxing policies. 7) Consider deploying application whitelisting or endpoint protection solutions that can block unauthorized Java code execution. These targeted actions go beyond generic patching advice and focus on reducing attack surface and exposure to untrusted code execution environments.

Description

Vulnerability in the Oracle Java SE, Oracle GraalVM for JDK, Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition product of Oracle Java SE (component: Networking). Supported versions that are affected are Oracle Java SE: 8u421, 8u421-perf, 11.0.24, 17.0.12, 21.0.4, 23; Oracle GraalVM for JDK: 17.0.12, 21.0.4, 23; Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition: 20.3.15 and 21.3.11. Difficult to exploit vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via multiple protocols to compromise Oracle Java SE, Oracle GraalVM for JDK, Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized ability to cause a partial denial of service (partial DOS) of Oracle Java SE, Oracle GraalVM for JDK, Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition. Note: This vulnerability applies to Java deployments, typically in clients running sandboxed Java Web Start applications or sandboxed Java applets, that load and run untrusted code (e.g., code that comes from the internet) and rely on the Java sandbox for security. This vulnerability does not apply to Java deployments, typically in servers, that load and run only trusted code (e.g., code installed by an administrator). CVSS 3.1 Base Score 3.7 (Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L).

Impact

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2024-21208 is a potential partial denial of service affecting client-side Java applications that run untrusted code in sandboxed environments. This could disrupt business operations relying on Java Web Start or applet-based applications, particularly in sectors where legacy Java client applications remain in use. Since the vulnerability does not affect server-side Java deployments running trusted code, critical backend systems are less likely to be impacted. However, organizations with distributed client environments or those using Java-based tools for remote access or internal applications may experience service interruptions. The low severity and difficulty of exploitation reduce the immediate risk, but the presence of multiple affected versions across widely deployed Java platforms means that a broad range of organizations could be exposed if attackers develop exploit techniques. The lack of confidentiality or integrity impact limits data breach risks, but availability disruptions could affect productivity and user experience. Monitoring and mitigation are important to prevent potential exploitation, especially in sectors with high reliance on Java client technologies.

CWE-203Observable Discrepancy (opens in a new tab)
Base weakness
The product behaves differently or sends different responses under different circumstances in a way that is observable to an unauthorized actor.
Architecture and Design · Separation of Privilege
Compartmentalize the system to have "safe" areas where trust boundaries can be unambiguously drawn. Do not allow sensitive data to go outside of the trust boundary and always be careful when interfacing with a compartment outside of the safe area.
Implementation
Ensure that error messages only contain minimal details that are useful to the intended audience and no one else. The messages need to strike the balance between being too cryptic (which can confuse users) or being too detailed (which may reveal more than intended).
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Error Handling (opens in a new tab)
Logging (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V8.3.4 (opens in a new tab)
V14.3.3 (opens in a new tab)
V7.3.3 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Black Box Reverse Engineering (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

Community reviews

Loading reviews…

Exploitation evidence

What to do

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 3 Nov 2025, 23:48 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-203

Technical details

References

Community reviews

Related threats