dbcve.org
NetwareOperating system · Novell

CVE-2004-2734

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2004-12-31
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
webadmin-apache.conf in Novell Web Manager of Novell NetWare 6.5 uses an uppercase Alias tag with an inconsistent lowercase directory tag for a volume, which allows remote attackers to bypass access control to the WEB-INF folder.

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 confidence

Novell Web Manager on NetWare 6.5 has a case-sensitivity vulnerability in its Apache configuration (webadmin-apache.conf). The Alias directive uses uppercase while the corresponding Directory directive uses lowercase, causing Apache's access control to fail to match and protect the WEB-INF directory. This allows remote attackers to bypass authentication and access sensitive WEB-INF contents including configuration files.

MitigationCorrect the case mismatch between the Alias and Directory directives in webadmin-apache.conf to ensure consistent casing, ensuring WEB-INF access controls are properly enforced. Consider restricting or disabling access to WEB-INF entirely if not required.

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
NetwareOperating system
Affected:= 6.5

CVSS 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
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify Novell NetWare 6.5 is installed
    Check system version information on the NetWare server. Look for NetWare 6.5 in the operating system identification.
    Affected if The system is running Novell NetWare version 6.5
  2. Locate webadmin-apache.conf
    Find the webadmin-apache.conf configuration file in the NetWare system, typically within the Apache configuration directory used by Novell Web Manager.
    Affected if The webadmin-apache.conf file exists on the server
  3. Inspect Alias directive casing
    Open webadmin-apache.conf and locate the Alias directive that maps the WEB-INF path. Note whether it uses uppercase, lowercase, or mixed case.
    Affected if An Alias directive exists for WEB-INF (any case variation)
  4. Inspect Directory directive casing
    In the same file, locate the Directory directive that corresponds to the WEB-INF path. Compare its casing to the Alias directive.
    Affected if A Directory directive exists with different casing than the Alias directive (case mismatch present)
  5. Confirm access control bypass condition
    Verify that the case mismatch between Alias (e.g., /WEB-INF) and Directory (e.g., /web-inf) directives prevents Apache from properly matching and protecting the WEB-INF directory.
    Affected if The Alias uses uppercase WEB-INF while the Directory uses lowercase or mixed-case web-inf, causing the access control to not match

The environment is affected if Novell NetWare 6.5 is running with a webadmin-apache.conf file containing a case mismatch between the WEB-INF Alias and Directory directives, allowing unauthenticated access to WEB-INF contents.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Correct the case mismatch between the Alias and Directory directives in webadmin-apache.conf to ensure consistent casing, ensuring WEB-INF access controls are properly enforced. Consider restricting or disabling access to WEB-INF entirely if not required.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Novell NetWare 6.5 Service Pack 7 or later (contact Novell support for specific patch availability)

  1. Locate the webadmin-apache.conf file in the Novell NetWare 6.5 installation (typically in the etc or conf directory under the Apache instance used by Novell Web Manager)
  2. Open the webadmin-apache.conf file in a text editor
  3. Review the Alias directive for the WEB-INF folder - it should be uppercase: Alias /WEB-INF
  4. Review the corresponding <Directory> tag - it must match the case of the Alias path exactly: <Directory "/path/to/apache2/htdocs/WEB-INF">
  5. Ensure both the Alias and Directory directives use consistent casing (either both uppercase or both lowercase for the WEB-INF path component)
  6. Save the corrected configuration file
  7. Restart the Apache instance running Novell Web Manager to apply the changes
  8. Verify that access to the WEB-INF directory is properly denied by attempting to access a WEB-INF resource remotely
Caveat This is an older discontinued product; ensure backup of configuration files before making changes; test in non-production environment first

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Netware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,970
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,152.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2004-2734 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2004-2734 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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.

What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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