CVE-2009-0311
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 · uneditedThe Backbone service (ftbackbone.exe) in EMC AutoStart before 5.3 SP2 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a packet with a crafted value that is dereferenced as a function pointer.
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 confidenceThe Backbone service (ftbackbone.exe) in EMC AutoStart before version 5.3 SP2 contains a remote code execution vulnerability where a crafted packet value is improperly used as a function pointer. This allows an unauthenticated remote attacker to execute arbitrary code by sending specially crafted packets to the service.
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<= 5.3= 5.3CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify if EMC AutoStart is installedCheck for the presence of EMC AutoStart software on the system - look for installation directories or check Add/Remove Programs for 'EMC AutoStart' or 'Legato AutoStart' entriesAffected if EMC AutoStart is not found on the system, the vulnerability does not apply
-
Determine the installed EMC AutoStart versionLocate the EMC AutoStart installation directory and check version information for the main executable, or use system inventory tools to query the installed versionAffected if The installed version is 5.3 or any version lower than 5.3 (versions prior to 5.3 SP2 are affected)
-
Verify the Backbone service is present and runningCheck for the ftbackbone.exe process in the system task list or verify the Backbone service status in Windows Services or equivalentAffected if The Backbone service (ftbackbone.exe) is running and the installed version is 5.3 or lower
-
Check network exposure of the Backbone serviceIdentify which network ports the Backbone service is listening on (typically the port it uses for communications) and verify if it is accessible from untrusted networksAffected if The Backbone service is exposed to untrusted network access and the version is affected
A system is affected if EMC AutoStart version 5.3 or any earlier version is installed with the Backbone service (ftbackbone.exe) running and exposed to network traffic.
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.
dbcve · scopedUpgrade to EMC AutoStart 5.3 SP2 or later to address the vulnerability. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict network access to the Backbone service using firewall rules or network segmentation to limit exposure to untrusted networks.
EMC AutoStart 5.3 SP2
- Upgrade EMC AutoStart to version 5.3 SP2 or later to remediate the vulnerability in the Backbone service (ftbackbone.exe)
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing10.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,928.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2009-0311 — 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-2009-0311 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