CVE-2001-1504
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedLotus Notes R5 Client 4.6 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands via a Lotus Notes object with code in an event, which is automatically executed when the user processes the e-mail message.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceLotus Notes R5 Client versions 4.6 and earlier contain a vulnerability where malicious Lotus Notes objects embedded in email messages contain executable code in event handlers that automatically execute when the user processes the email. This allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands on the affected client without additional user interaction beyond normal email processing.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= 4.6= 5.0CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify installed Lotus Notes versionOpen Lotus Notes and navigate to Help > About Lotus Notes, or check the program version through Windows Add/Remove Programs, or run 'nlsxbe.exe -version' from the Notes program directoryAffected if Version is 4.6, 5.0, or any version earlier than 4.6
-
Verify automatic execution setting for embedded objectsIn Lotus Notes client, go to File > Preferences > User Preferences > Mail and check the 'Automatically execute embedded objects' or similar setting under mail handling options; this may also be configurable via notes.ini with the $AllowOpenObjects settingAffected if Automatic execution of embedded objects is enabled (not disabled)
-
Inspect email security configurationCheck Notes client security settings via File > Preferences > Security > User Security, or examine the notes.ini configuration file in the Notes data directory for permissive object execution settingsAffected if Security settings allow unrestricted execution of embedded objects from emails
-
Confirm email processing behaviorTest by examining whether the Notes client automatically processes and renders embedded Lotus Objects (like .nsf attachments or OLE objects) when previewing or opening emails from untrusted sourcesAffected if Client automatically processes embedded objects without prompting for user confirmation
User is affected if running Lotus Notes version 4.6 or earlier (or version 5.0) AND automatic execution of embedded objects is enabled in the mail/ security settings, allowing arbitrary code to run when processing malicious email messages.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataDisable automatic execution of embedded objects in Lotus Notes, implement email gateway filtering for untrusted attachments, and upgrade to a supported Lotus Notes version if available. Users should avoid processing emails from untrusted sources.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2001-1504 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2001-1504 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data