Our applications throw the following exception:

Caused by: javax.naming.CommunicationException: cefrlb-eas33.ce.sdxcorp.net:636 [Root exception is java.lang.ClassCastException: com.sap.security.core.server.https.SecureConnectionFactory (loaded by library:security.class@85328 com.sap.engine.boot.loader.ResourceMultiParentClassLoader) cannot be cast to javax.net.SocketFactory (loaded by <bootstrap>)]
        at com.sun.jndi.ldap.Connection.<init>(Connection.java:247)
        at com.sun.jndi.ldap.LdapClient.<init>(LdapClient.java:137)
        at com.sun.jndi.ldap.LdapClient.getInstance(LdapClient.java:1615)
        at com.sun.jndi.ldap.LdapCtx.connect(LdapCtx.java:2847)
        at com.sun.jndi.ldap.LdapCtx.<init>(LdapCtx.java:348)
        at com.sun.jndi.ldap.LdapCtxFactory.getLdapCtxFromUrl(LdapCtxFactory.java:225)
        at com.sun.jndi.ldap.LdapCtxFactory.getUsingURL(LdapCtxFactory.java:189)
        at com.sun.jndi.ldap.LdapCtxFactory.getUsingURLs(LdapCtxFactory.java:243)
        at com.sun.jndi.ldap.LdapCtxFactory.getLdapCtxInstance(LdapCtxFactory.java:154)
        at com.sun.jndi.ldap.LdapCtxFactory.getInitialContext(LdapCtxFactory.java:84)
        at com.sap.engine.system.naming.provider.DefaultInitialContext._getDefaultInitCtxt(DefaultInitialContext.java:64)
        ... 128 more
Caused by: java.lang.ClassCastException: com.sap.security.core.server.https.SecureConnectionFactory (loaded by library:security.class@85328 com.sap.engine.boot.loader.ResourceMultiParentClassLoader) cannot be cast to javax.net.SocketFactory (loaded by <bootstrap>)
        at com.sun.jndi.ldap.Connection.getSocketFactory(Connection.java:330)
        at com.sun.jndi.ldap.Connection.createSocket(Connection.java:296)
        at com.sun.jndi.ldap.Connection.<init>(Connection.java:224)
        ... 138 more

Our class SecureConnectionFactory does not implement interface javax.net.SocketFactory.

This was not necessary before 8u401. With 8u401, we see this issue.

For us it looks like with the backport of JDK-8314063 a snippet of JDK-8048175,
a change from jdk9, sneaked in:

src/share/classes/com/sun/jndi/ldap/Connection.java:
-  Class<?> socketFactoryClass = Obj.helper.loadClass(socketFactory);
+  Class<? extends SocketFactory> socketFactoryClass =
+          (Class<? extends SocketFactory>) Obj.helper.loadClass
+          (socketFactory);

It is unclear to us whether implementing SocketFactory is required in 8.
All we found about this is https://docs.oracle.com/javase/jndi/tutorial/ldap/security/ssl.html.
Obviously JDK-8048175 enforces this since jdk9, but for 8 it looks as an regression.

If this change was intended, a release note would have been useful.