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Tivoli Storage Manager ClientApplication · Ibm

CVE-2009-1520

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2009-05-05
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
Buffer overflow in the Web GUI in the IBM Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM) client 5.1.0.0 through 5.1.8.2, 5.2.0.0 through 5.2.5.3, 5.3.0.0 through 5.3.6.4, 5.4.0.0 through 5.4.2.6, and 5.5.0.0 through 5.5.1.17 allows attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) or execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors.

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

Buffer overflow vulnerability in the IBM Tivoli Storage Manager client Web GUI across multiple version ranges (5.1.x through 5.5.1.x). The flaw allows attackers to cause denial of service via application crash or potentially execute arbitrary code through unspecified vectors.

MitigationApply vendor patches (version 5.5.1.18 or later, or migrate to supported TSM version) to address the buffer overflow in the Web GUI component; if patching is not immediately feasible, disable the Web GUI interface and restrict network access.

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
Tivoli Storage Manager ClientApplication
Affected:= 5.1= 5.1.8.0= 5.1.8.2= 5.2= 5.2.5.1= 5.2.5.2= 5.2.5.3= 5.3= 5.3.5.2= 5.3.5.3= 5.3.6.3= 5.3.6.4
Tivoli Storage Manager ExpressApplication
Affected:= 5.3= 5.3.3.0= 5.3.6.4

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. Check if IBM Tivoli Storage Manager client is installed
    Look for TSM client binaries (dsmadmc, dsmc) in common installation directories such as C:\Program Files\Tivoli\TSM on Windows or /opt/tivoli/tsm on Unix/Linux. Check for the TSM client service or process running on the system.
    Affected if TSM client software is present on the system
  2. Identify the installed TSM client version
    Run the version command for the TSM client. On Windows, use 'dsmadmc -v' or check the program's properties. On Unix/Linux, run 'dsmc -v' or check /opt/tivoli/tsm/client/ba/bin/dsmc -v. Alternatively, check the Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\IBM\Tivoli\StorageManager\Client\CurrentVersion or inspect version files in the installation directory.
    Affected if The installed version falls within 5.1.x through 5.3.6.4, or specifically matches any of these: 5.1, 5.1.8.0, 5.1.8.2, 5.2, 5.2.5.1, 5.2.5.2, 5.2.5.3, 5.3, 5.3.5.2, 5.3.5.3, 5.3.6.3, 5.3.6.4, or Express versions 5.3, 5.3.3.0, 5.3.6.4
  3. Verify if the Web GUI component is enabled
    Check the TSM client configuration files (dsm.opt, dsm.sys) for Web GUI settings. On Windows, the Web GUI typically runs as a Windows service (TSM Web Client or similar). Check Windows Services or run 'sc query' to find TSM web client services. On Unix/Linux, look for webgui processes or check for configuration in the client directory.
    Affected if The Web GUI interface (web client service) is installed and running on the system
  4. Confirm Web GUI accessibility
    Test network connectivity to the Web GUI port (default HTTP port 1580 or HTTPS port 1581). Use a browser to access http://hostname:1580 or https://hostname:1581 if the service is running. Check firewall rules to determine if the Web GUI port is exposed.
    Affected if The Web GUI is accessible over the network, increasing exposure to potential exploitation

A user is affected if the IBM Tivoli Storage Manager client is installed with a version between 5.1 and 5.3.6.4 (or matching the specific versions listed) AND the Web GUI component is enabled and accessible.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply vendor patches (version 5.5.1.18 or later, or migrate to supported TSM version) to address the buffer overflow in the Web GUI component; if patching is not immediately feasible, disable the Web GUI interface and restrict network access.

Fix this in Tivoli Storage Manager Client Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
24.0 hours of engineering $4,160
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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-2009-1520 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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
  • 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