diff --git a/src/documentation/content/xdocs/changes.xml b/src/documentation/content/xdocs/changes.xml
index 3e41f0824..58af02a0c 100644
--- a/src/documentation/content/xdocs/changes.xml
+++ b/src/documentation/content/xdocs/changes.xml
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
     </devs>
 
         <release version="3.0.2-FINAL" date="2007-??-??">
+            <action dev="POI-DEVELOPERS" type="fix">43108 - [PATCH] - Where permissions deny fetching System Properties, use sensible defaults</action>
             <action dev="POI-DEVELOPERS" type="fix">43093 - [PATCH] - Fix formula evaluator support for Area3D references to other sheets</action>
             <action dev="POI-DEVELOPERS" type="fix">Improvements to HSSFDateUtils.isADateFormat, and have HSSFDateUtil.isCellDateFormatted use this</action>
             <action dev="POI-DEVELOPERS" type="fix">42999 - [PATCH] - Fix for HSSFPatriarch positioning problems</action>
diff --git a/src/documentation/content/xdocs/status.xml b/src/documentation/content/xdocs/status.xml
index 2e07005ef..04ee81639 100644
--- a/src/documentation/content/xdocs/status.xml
+++ b/src/documentation/content/xdocs/status.xml
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@
 
     <changes>
         <release version="3.0.2-FINAL" date="2007-??-??">
+            <action dev="POI-DEVELOPERS" type="fix">43108 - [PATCH] - Where permissions deny fetching System Properties, use sensible defaults</action>
             <action dev="POI-DEVELOPERS" type="fix">43093 - [PATCH] - Fix formula evaluator support for Area3D references to other sheets</action>
             <action dev="POI-DEVELOPERS" type="fix">Improvements to HSSFDateUtils.isADateFormat, and have HSSFDateUtil.isCellDateFormatted use this</action>
             <action dev="POI-DEVELOPERS" type="fix">42999 - [PATCH] - Fix for HSSFPatriarch positioning problems</action>
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/record/AbstractEscherHolderRecord.java b/src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/record/AbstractEscherHolderRecord.java
index 42c8ea790..efa83ca33 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/record/AbstractEscherHolderRecord.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/record/AbstractEscherHolderRecord.java
@@ -38,7 +38,14 @@ import java.util.List;
 public abstract class AbstractEscherHolderRecord
     extends Record
 {
-    private static final boolean DESERIALISE = System.getProperty("poi.deserialize.escher") != null;
+    private static boolean DESERIALISE;
+    static {
+    try {
+            DESERIALISE = (System.getProperty("poi.deserialize.escher") != null);
+        } catch (SecurityException e) {
+            DESERIALISE = false;
+        }
+    }
 
     private List escherRecords;
     private byte[] rawData;
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/usermodel/StaticFontMetrics.java b/src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/usermodel/StaticFontMetrics.java
index a370968b0..41efa6d07 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/usermodel/StaticFontMetrics.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/usermodel/StaticFontMetrics.java
@@ -52,16 +52,22 @@ class StaticFontMetrics
             try
             {
                 fontMetricsProps = new Properties();
-                if (System.getProperty("font.metrics.filename") != null)
-                {
-                    String filename = System.getProperty("font.metrics.filename");
-                    File file = new File(filename);
+
+                // Check to see if the font metric file was specified
+                //  as a system property
+                String propFileName = null;
+                try {
+                    propFileName = System.getProperty("font.metrics.filename");
+                } catch(SecurityException e) {}
+
+                if (propFileName != null) {
+                    File file = new File(propFileName);
                     if (!file.exists())
                         throw new FileNotFoundException("font_metrics.properties not found at path " + file.getAbsolutePath());
                     metricsIn = new FileInputStream(file);
                 }
-                else
-                {
+                else {
+                    // Use the built-in font metrics file off the classpath
                     metricsIn = FontDetails.class.getResourceAsStream("/font_metrics.properties");
                     if (metricsIn == null)
                         throw new FileNotFoundException("font_metrics.properties not found in classpath");
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/poi/util/SystemOutLogger.java b/src/java/org/apache/poi/util/SystemOutLogger.java
index c81557714..8b3dc50d9 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/poi/util/SystemOutLogger.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/poi/util/SystemOutLogger.java
@@ -65,7 +65,13 @@ public class SystemOutLogger extends POILogger
      */
     public boolean check(final int level)
     {
-        int currentLevel = Integer.parseInt(System.getProperty("poi.log.level", WARN + ""));
+        int currentLevel;
+        try {
+            currentLevel = Integer.parseInt(System.getProperty("poi.log.level", WARN + ""));
+        } catch (SecurityException e) {
+            currentLevel = POILogger.DEBUG;
+        }
+
         if (level >= currentLevel)
             return true;
         else