# CVE-2012-4540: Memory corruption in n/a

> Remote attackers can execute arbitrary code, cause crashes, or read sensitive data via a crafted webpage exploiting a heap-based buffer overflow in the IcedTea-Web plugin.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.8 (`AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 11 Nov 2012
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2012-4540, DSA-2768-1, GHSA-44v2-cg42-mx34, RHSA-2012:1434

## What is CVE-2012-4540?

CVE-2012-4540 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Opensuse Opensuse, published on 11 Nov 2012. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

Off-by-one error in the invoke function in IcedTeaScriptablePluginObject.cc in IcedTea-Web 1.1.x before 1.1.7, 1.2.x before 1.2.2, 1.3.x before 1.3.1, and 1.4.x before 1.4.1 allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information, cause a denial of service (crash), or possibly execute arbitrary code via a crafted webpage that triggers a heap-based buffer overflow, related to an error message and a "triggering event attached to applet." NOTE: the 1.4.x versions were originally associated with CVE-2013-4349, but that entry has been MERGED with this one.

Weakness: CWE-189

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2012-4540?

It affects 2 products.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `icedtea-web` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::client | All versions | 0:1.2.2-1.el6_3 |
| `icedtea-web-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::client | All versions | 0:1.2.2-1.el6_3 |
| `icedtea-web-javadoc` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::client | All versions | 0:1.2.2-1.el6_3 |
| `icedtea-web` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::computenode | All versions | 0:1.2.2-1.el6_3 |
| `icedtea-web-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::computenode | All versions | 0:1.2.2-1.el6_3 |
| `icedtea-web-javadoc` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::computenode | All versions | 0:1.2.2-1.el6_3 |
| `icedtea-web` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::server | All versions | 0:1.2.2-1.el6_3 |
| `icedtea-web-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::server | All versions | 0:1.2.2-1.el6_3 |
| `icedtea-web-javadoc` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::server | All versions | 0:1.2.2-1.el6_3 |
| `icedtea-web` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::workstation | All versions | 0:1.2.2-1.el6_3 |
| `icedtea-web-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::workstation | All versions | 0:1.2.2-1.el6_3 |
| `icedtea-web-javadoc` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::workstation | All versions | 0:1.2.2-1.el6_3 |

Products: Opensuse Opensuse, Redhat Icedtea-Web.

## How do I fix CVE-2012-4540?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2012-4540 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2012-4540 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Opensuse Opensuse

- [CVE-2015-5957](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-5957/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2015-0491](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-0491/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2008-2388](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-2388/): Integer overflow in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2010-1866](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2010-1866/): Integer overflow in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2015-0492](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-0492/): Other in n/a (critical 9.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2012-4540 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2012-4540 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Opensuse Opensuse, published on 11 Nov 2012. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2012-4540 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Opensuse Opensuse. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-4540/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-4540/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2012-4540
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2012-4540
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2012-4540

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-4540/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.