Most methods lack security manager checks because they do not provide access to sensitive parts of the system, such as the file system. Most methods that do provide security manager checks verify that every class and method in the call stack is authorized before they proceed. This security model allows restricted programs, such as Java applets, to have full access to the core Java library. It also prevents a sensitive method from acting on behalf of a malicious method that hides behind trusted methods in the call stack.

However, certain methods use a reduced-security check that checks only that the calling method is authorized rather than checking every method in the call stack. Any code that invokes these methods must guarantee that they cannot be invoked on behalf of untrusted code. These methods are listed in the following table.

Because the java.lang.reflect.Field.setAccessible() and getAccessible() methods are used to instruct the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) to override the language access checks, they perform standard (and more restrictive) security manager checks and consequently lack the vulnerability described by this guideline. Nevertheless, these methods should also be used with extreme caution. The remaining set* and get* field reflection methods perform only the language access checks and are consequently vulnerable.

Class Loaders

Class loaders allow a Java application to be dynamically extended at runtime by loading additional classes. For each class that is loaded, the JVM tracks the class loader that was used to load the class. When a loaded class first refers to another class, the virtual machine requests that the referenced class be loaded by the same class loader that was used to load the referencing class. Java's class loader architecture controls interaction between code loaded from different sources by allowing the use of different class loaders. This separation of class loaders is fundamental to the separation of code: it prevents malicious code from gaining access to and subverting trusted code.

Several methods that are charged with loading classes delegate their work to the class loader of the class of the method that called them. The security checks associated with loading classes are performed by class loaders. Consequently, any method that invokes one of these class loading methods must guarantee that these methods cannot act on behalf of untrusted code. These methods are listed in the following table.

Java uses security managers and security policies together to prevent untrusted code from performing privileged operations. In standard installations, a restrictive systemwide security policy prevents instantiation of sensitive classes such as java.lang.ClassLoader in the context of a web browser, for example. It remains critically important to ensure that untrusted code cannot indirectly use the privileges of trusted code to perform privileged operations.

Most APIs install security manager checks to prevent such privilege escalation attacks; some APIs fail to do so. These APIs are tabulated below. Note, however, that the loadLibrary and load APIs throw a security exception when the caller lacks permission to dynamically link the library code. These APIs are nevertheless listed as unsafe because they use the immediate caller's class loader to find and load the requested library. Moreover, because the loadLibrary and load APIs are typically used from within a doPrivileged block defined in trusted code, untrusted callers can directly invoke it without requiring any special permissions.

These APIs perform tasks using the immediate caller's class loader. They can be exploited when (1) they are invoked indirectly by untrusted code and/or (2) they accept tainted inputs from untrusted code.

Classes that have the same defining class loader exist in the same namespace but may have different privileges, depending on the security policy. Security vulnerabilities can arise when trusted code coexists with untrusted code that was loaded by the same defining class loader. In this case, the untrusted code can freely access members of the trusted code according to their declared accessibility. When the trusted code uses any of the tabulated APIs, no security manager checks are carried out (with the exception of loadLibrary and load).

With the exception of the loadLibrary() and load() methods, the tabulated methods do not perform any security manager checks; they delegate security checks to the appropriate class loader. 

In practice, the trusted code's class loader frequently allows these methods to be invoked, whereas the untrusted code's class loader may lack these privileges. However, when Security vulnerabilities can also arise even when untrusted code has been loaded by a class loader instance that is distinct from the class loader used to load the trusted code. When the untrusted code's class loader delegates to the trusted code's class loader, the untrusted code has gains visibility to the trusted code according to the declared visibility of the trusted code. In the absence of such a delegation relationship, the class loaders would ensure namespace separation; consequently, the untrusted code would be unable to observe members or to invoke methods belonging to the trusted code.

The class loader delegation model is fundamental to many Java implementations and frameworks. Avoid exposing the methods listed in the preceding tables to untrusted code. Consider, for example, an attack scenario where untrusted code that is attempting to load a privileged class. Its If its class loader lacks permission to load the requested privileged class on its own, but the class loader is permitted to delegate the class loading to the a trusted class's class loader. This can result in privilege escalation, because the untrusted code's class loader may lack permission to load the requested privileged class. Further, privilege escalation can occur. Furthermore, if the trusted code accepts tainted inputs, the trusted code's class loader could be persuaded to load additional privileged — or even , malicious — classes on behalf of the untrusted code.

Noncompliant Code Example

In this noncompliant code example, the untrustedCode() method of class Untrusted invokes the loadLib() method of class NativeCode. This is insecure because the library is loaded on behalf of untrusted code. In essence, the untrusted code's class loader may be able to indirectly load the intended library even though it lacks sufficient permissions. After loading the library, untrusted code can call native methods on it if the methods are accessible.

class NativeCode {
  public native void loadLib();

  static {
    try {
      System.loadLibrary("/com/foo/MyLib.so");
    }catch(UnsatisfiedLinkError e) { e.getMessage(); }
  }    
}

class Untrusted {
  public static void untrustedCode() {
    new NativeCode().loadLib();
  }
}

Compliant Solution

Ensure that untrusted code cannot invoke the affected APIs directly or indirectly (that is, via a call to an invoking method). In this case, the loadLib() method must be declared private so that it is only available to a more restrictive wrapper method within the class. The restrictive wrapper method can ensure that the caller can safely invoke the library.

...

...

Classes that have the same defining class loader will exist in the same namespace, but they can have different privileges depending on the security policy. Security vulnerabilities can arise when privileged code coexists with unprivileged code (or less privileged code) that was loaded by the same class loader. In this case, the less privileged code can freely access members of the privileged code according to the privileged code's declared accessibility. When the privileged code uses any of the tabulated APIs, it bypasses security manager checks (with the exception of loadLibrary() and load()).

This guideline is similar to SEC03-J. Do not load trusted classes after allowing untrusted code to load arbitrary classes. Many examples also violate SEC00-J. Do not allow privileged blocks to leak sensitive information across a trust boundary.

Noncompliant Code Example

In this noncompliant code example, a call to System.loadLibrary() is embedded in a doPrivileged block. An unprivileged caller can maliciously invoke this piece of code using the same technique as above because the doPrivileged block stops security manager checks being applied to callers further up the execution chain.

public void load(String libName) {
  AccessController.doPrivileged(new PrivilegedAction() {
    public Object run() { 
      System.loadLibrary(libName);
      return null; 
    }
  });
}

This code is insecure because it could load a library on behalf of untrusted code. In essence, the untrusted code's class loader may be able to use this code to load a library even though it lacks sufficient permissions to do so directly. After loading the library, the untrusted code can call native methods from the library, if those methods are accessible, because the doPrivileged block stops any security manager checks from being applied to callers further up the execution stack.

Nonnative library code can also be susceptible to related security flaws. Loading a nonnative safe Suppose there exists a library that contains a vulnerability that is not directly exposed, perhaps because it lies in an unused method. Loading this library may not directly expose a vulnerability, but after loading . However, an attacker could then load an additional unsafe library, an attacker can easily exploit the safe library if it contains other vulnerabilitieslibrary that exploits the first library's vulnerability. Moreover, nonnative libraries often use doPrivileged blocks, making them lucrative attractive targets.

Compliant Solution

This compliant solution reduces hard codes the name of the library to prevent the possibility of tainted values. It also reduces the accessibility of method the load() method from public to private. Consequently, untrusted callers are prohibited from loading the awt library. Also, the name of the library is hard-coded to reject the possibility of tainted values. 

private void load() {
  AccessController.doPrivileged(new PrivilegedAction() {
    public Object run() { 
      System.loadLibrary("awt");
      return null; 
    }
  });
}

Noncompliant Code Example

Accepting tainted inputs from untrusted code can permit an attacker to load classes with escalated privileges. The single argument Class.forName() method is another API method that uses its immediate caller's class loader to load a requested class. Untrusted code can misuse this API to indirectly manufacture classes that have the same privileges as those of the attacker's immediate callerThis noncompliant code example returns an instance of java.sql.Connection from trusted to untrusted code.

//public classNameConnection may be the name of a privileged or even a malicious class
Class c = Class.forName(className);

Compliant Solution

Limit the visibility of the method that uses this API. Do not operate on tainted inputs. This compliant solution hard-codes the class's name.

Class c = Class.forName("Foo"); // Explicitly hardcode

Noncompliant Code Example

getConnection(String url, String username, String password) {
  // ...
  return DriverManager.getConnection(url, username, password);
}

This noncompliant code example returns an instance of java.sql.Connection from trusted to untrusted code. Untrusted code that lacks the permissions required to create a SQL connection can bypass these restrictions by using the acquired instance directly. The getConnection() method is unsafe because it uses the url argument to indicate a class to be loaded; this class serves as the database driver.

Compliant Solution

This compliant solution prevents malicious users from supplying their own URL to the database connection, thereby limiting their ability to load untrusted drivers.

private String url = // Hardwired value

public Connection getConnection(String username, String password) {
  // ...
  return DriverManager.getConnection(this.url, username, password);
}

Compliant Solution

Ensure that instances of objects created using the unsafe methods are not returned to untrusted code. It is preferable to reduce the accessibility of methods that perform sensitive operations and define wrapper methods that are accessible from untrusted code.

private void getConnection() {
 // ...
 conn = DriverManager.getConnection(url, username, password);
 // Do what is is required here itself; do not return the connection
}
public void DoDatabaseOperationWrapper() {
  // Perform any checks or validate input
  getConnection();
}

Exceptions

SEC53-EX0: It is permissible to use APIs that do not use the immediate caller's class loader instance. For example, the three-argument java.lang.Class.forName() method requires an explicit argument that specifies the class loader instance to use. Do not use the immediate caller's class loader as the third argument if instances must be returned to untrusted code.

Noncompliant Code Example (CERT Vulnerability 636312)

CERT Vulnerability Note VU#636312 describes a vulnerability in Java 1.7.0 update 6 that was widely exploited in August 2012. The exploit actually used two vulnerabilities; the other one is described in SEC05-J. Do not use reflection to increase accessibility of classes, methods, or fields.)

The exploit runs as a Java applet. The applet class loader ensures that an applet cannot directly invoke methods of classes present in the com.sun.* package. A normal security manager check ensures that specific actions are allowed or denied depending on the privileges of all of the caller methods on the call stack (the privileges are associated with the code source that encompasses the class).

The first goal of the exploit code was to access the private sun.awt.SunToolkit class. However, invoking class.forName() directly on the name of this class would cause a SecurityException to be thrown. Consequently, the exploit code used the following method to access any class, bypassing the security manager:

private Class GetClass(String paramString)
    throws Throwable
{
    Object arrayOfObject[] = new Object[1];
    arrayOfObject[0] = paramString;
    Expression localExpression = new Expression(Class.class, "forName", arrayOfObject);
    localExpression.execute();
    return (Class)localExpression.getValue();
}

The java.beans.Expression.execute() method delegates its work to the following method:

private Object invokeInternal() throws Exception {
  Object target = getTarget();
  String methodName = getMethodName();

  if (target == null || methodName == null) {
    throw new NullPointerException(
      (target == null ? "target" : "methodName") + 
       " should not be null");
  }

  Object[] arguments = getArguments();
  if (arguments == null) {
    arguments = emptyArray;
  }
  // Class.forName() won't load classes outside
  // of core from a class inside core, so it
  // is handled as a special case.
  if (target == Class.class && methodName.equals("forName")) {
    return ClassFinder.resolveClass((String)arguments[0], this.loader);
  }

// ...

The com.sun.beans.finder.ClassFinder.resolveClass() method delegates its work to the findClass() method:

public static Class<?> findClass(String name) 
   throws ClassNotFoundException {
  try {
    ClassLoader loader = Thread.currentThread().getContextClassLoader();
    if (loader == null) {
      loader = ClassLoader.getSystemClassLoader();
    }
    if (loader != null) {
      return Class.forName(name, false, loader);
    }
  } catch (ClassNotFoundException exception) {
    // Use current class loader instead
  } catch (SecurityException exception) {
    // Use current class loader instead
  }
  return Class.forName(name);
}

Although this method is called in the context of an applet, it uses Class.forName() to obtain the requested class. Class.forName() delegates the search to the calling method's class loader. In this case, the calling class (com.sun.beans.finder.ClassFinder) is part of core Java, so the trusted class loader is used in place of the more restrictive applet class loader, and the trusted class loader loads the class, unaware that it is acting on behalf of malicious code.

Compliant Solution (CVE-2012-4681)

Oracle mitigated this vulnerability in Java 1.7.0 update 7 by patching the com.sun.beans.finder.ClassFinder.findClass() method. The checkPackageAccess() method checks the entire call stack to ensure that Class.forName(), in this instance only, fetches classes only on behalf of trusted methods.

public static Class<?> findClass(String name) 
   throws ClassNotFoundException {
  checkPackageAccess(name);
  try {
    ClassLoader loader = Thread.currentThread().getContextClassLoader();
    if (loader == null) {
      // Can be null in IE (see 6204697)
      loader = ClassLoader.getSystemClassLoader();
    }
    if (loader != null) {
      return Class.forName(name, false, loader);
    }

  } catch (ClassNotFoundException exception) {
    // Use current class loader instead
  } catch (SecurityException exception) {
    // Use current class loader instead
  }
  return Class.forName(name);
}

Noncompliant Code Example (CVE-2013-0422)

Java 1.7.0 update 10 was widely exploited in January 2013 because of several vulnerabilities. One vulnerability in the MBeanInstantiator class granted unprivileged code the ability to access any class regardless of the current security policy or accessibility rules. The MBeanInstantiator.findClass() method could be invoked with any string and would attempt to return the Class object named after the string. This method delegated its work to the loadClass() method, whose source code is shown here:

/**
 * Load a class with the specified loader, or with this object
 * class loader if the specified loader is null.
 **/
static Class<?> loadClass(String className, ClassLoader loader)
    throws ReflectionException {

    Class<?> theClass;
    if (className == null) {

public static Class forName(String name,
             throw new RuntimeOperationsException(new
             boolean initialize,
IllegalArgumentException("The class name cannot be null"),
                          "Exception occurred during object instantiation");
    }
    try {
        ClassLoaderif (loader == null)
            loader = MBeanInstantiator.class.getClassLoader();
        if (loader != null) {
            theClass = Class.forName(className, false, loader);
        } else {
            theClass = Class.forName(className);
        }
    } catch (ClassNotFoundException e) {
        throw new ReflectionException(e,
        "The MBean class could not be loaded");
    }
    return theClass;
}

This method delegates the task of dynamically loading the specified class to the Class.forName() method, which delegates the work to its calling method's class loader. Because the calling method is MBeanInstantiator.loadClass(), the core class loader is used, which provides no security checks.

Compliant Solution (CVE-2013-0422)

Oracle mitigated this vulnerability in Java 1.7.0 update 11 by adding an access check to the MBeanInstantiator.loadClass() method. This access check ensures that the caller is permitted to access the class being sought:

// ...
    if (className == null) {
        throw new RuntimeOperationsException(new
            IllegalArgumentException("The class name cannot be null"),
                          "Exception occurred during object instantiation");
    }
    ReflectUtil.checkPackageAccess(className);
    try {
 /* explicitly specify the class loader to use */
                     throws ClassNotFoundException

...

if (loader == null)
// ...

Applicability

Allowing untrusted code to carry out invoke methods with reduced-security checks can result in privilege escalation. Likewise, allowing untrusted code to perform actions using the immediate caller's class loader may allow the untrusted code to execute with the same privileges as the immediate caller.

Automated Detection

Automated detection is not feasible.

Related Vulnerabilities

Search for vulnerabilities resulting from the violation of this guideline on the CERT website.

Bibliography

Methods that avoid using the immediate caller's class loader instance fall outside the scope of this guideline. For example, the three-argument java.lang.Class.forName() method requires an explicit argument that specifies the class loader instance to use.

public static Class forName(String name, boolean initialize,
       ClassLoader loader) throws ClassNotFoundException

Do not use the immediate caller's class loader as the third argument when instances must be returned to untrusted code.

Bibliography

 [SCG 2010] Guideline 9-9: Safely invoke standard APIs that perform tasks using the immediate caller's class loader instance

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