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IprintApplication · Novell

CVE-2008-2431

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2008-11-26
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 5.04 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
High EPSS 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
Multiple buffer overflows in Novell iPrint Client before 5.06 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by calling the Novell iPrint ActiveX control (aka ienipp.ocx) with (1) a long third argument to the GetDriverFile method; a long first argument to the (2) GetPrinterURLList or (3) GetPrinterURLList2 method; (4) a long argument to the GetFileList method; a long argument to the (5) GetServerVersion, (6) GetResourceList, or (7) DeleteResource method, related to nipplib.dll; a long uploadPath argument to the (8) UploadPrinterDriver or (9) UploadResource method, related to URIs; (10) a long seventh argument to the UploadResource method; a long string in the (11) second, (12) third, or (13) fourth argument to the GetDriverSettings method, related to the IppGetDriverSettings function in nipplib.dll; or (14) a long eighth argument to the UploadResourceToRMS method.

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 iPrint Client versions prior to 5.06 contain multiple buffer overflow vulnerabilities in the ienipp.ocx ActiveX control and nipplib.dll library. Attackers can achieve remote code execution by passing excessively long string arguments to various methods including GetDriverFile, GetPrinterURLList, GetPrinterURLList2, GetFileList, GetServerVersion, GetResourceList, DeleteResource, UploadPrinterDriver, UploadResource, GetDriverSettings, and UploadResourceToRMS. The lack of proper bounds checking on user-supplied input to these methods allows heap/stack-based buffer overflows leading to arbitrary code execution.

MitigationUpgrade Novell iPrint Client to version 5.06 or later. As an interim measure, disable the ienipp.ocx ActiveX control in Internet Explorer or restrict access to systems running the vulnerable iPrint Client.

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
IprintApplication
Affected:<= 5.04= 4.26= 4.27= 4.28= 4.30= 4.32= 4.34= 4.36= 4.38

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
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:M/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. Check if Novell iPrint Client is installed
    Open Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features (or Run: appwiz.cpl), look for 'Novell iPrint Client' in the installed programs list
    Affected if Novell iPrint Client is not present in the program list (not vulnerable as it's not installed)
  2. Find the installed iPrint Client version
    If installed, right-click on Novell iPrint Client in Programs and Features and select 'Change' or 'Properties', or check the version in the registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Novell\iPrint (key: Version)
    Affected if The version displayed is 5.04 or lower, or matches any of these: 4.26, 4.27, 4.28, 4.30, 4.32, 4.34, 4.36, or 4.38
  3. Locate the ienipp.ocx ActiveX control file
    Search for ienipp.ocx in the Windows system directory (typically C:\Windows\System32\) or in the Novell iPrint installation directory (commonly C:\Program Files\Novell\iPrint\)
    Affected if The file ienipp.ocx exists on the system, confirming the vulnerable ActiveX component is present
  4. Verify the ActiveX control is registered
    Open Command Prompt and run: regsvr32 /s ienipp.ocx (to register) or check registry under HKCR\CLSID\ for the control's CLSID (search for 'iPrint' in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\{CLSID})
    Affected if The ienipp.ocx control is registered and loadable by Internet Explorer or other applications

If Novell iPrint Client is installed and its version is 5.04 or lower, or matches any of 4.26/4.27/4.28/4.30/4.32/4.34/4.36/4.38, the system is vulnerable to the buffer overflow in the ienipp.ocx ActiveX control.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 5.04
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Novell iPrint Client to version 5.06 or later. As an interim measure, disable the ienipp.ocx ActiveX control in Internet Explorer or restrict access to systems running the vulnerable iPrint Client.

Recommended fix High confidence

Novell iPrint Client 5.06 or later

  1. 1. Identify all systems with Novell iPrint Client installed.
  2. 2. Verify current version of Novell iPrint Client by checking the ienipp.ocx ActiveX control or the installed iPrint software.
  3. 3. Download Novell iPrint Client version 5.06 or later from the official Novell/NetIQ support website.
  4. 4. Uninstall the current version of Novell iPrint Client from affected systems.
  5. 5. Install the updated Novell iPrint Client version 5.06 or newer on all previously affected systems.
  6. 6. Verify the installation was successful and confirm the version is now 5.06 or later.
Caveat Review compatibility requirements for version 5.06 with any existing Novell iPrint infrastructure and dependent applications before deployment.

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

Fix this in Iprint Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2008-2431 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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