CVE-2009-3855
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 · uneditedMultiple unspecified vulnerabilities in the (1) UNIX and (2) Linux backup-archive clients, and the (3) OS/400 API client, in IBM Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM) 5.3 before 5.3.6.6, 5.4 before 5.4.2, and 5.5 before 5.5.1, when the MAILPROG option is enabled, allow attackers to read, modify, or delete arbitrary files via unknown 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 analysisA detailed technical summary for this CVE is being prepared.
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= 5.2.5.3= 5.3= 5.3.0= 5.3.1= 5.3.2= 5.3.2.4= 5.3.3= 5.3.4= 5.3.5.1= 5.3.6.1= 5.3.6.2= 5.3.6.3CVSS 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
- M
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
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 · scopedIBM Tivoli Storage Manager client 5.3.6.6 (or 5.4.2+/5.5.1+)
- 1. Identify the current TSM client version by running 'dsmc -v' or checking the installed package version
- 2. Download the fixed version of IBM Tivoli Storage Manager client from IBM Fix Central or the IBM support portal
- 3. For affected versions 5.2.5.3 and 5.3.x, upgrade to TSM client version 5.3.6.6 or later (alternatively 5.4.2+ or 5.5.1+)
- 4. Stop any running TSM scheduler or backup services before upgrading
- 5. Install the new client version using the appropriate package manager or installer for your operating system
- 6. Verify the new version is installed by running 'dsmc -v'
- 7. After upgrade, confirm the MAILPROG configuration is properly secured if still needed
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2009-3855 — 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-2009-3855 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
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- 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
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