CVE-2010-4714
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 stack-based buffer overflows in Novell GroupWise before 8.02HP allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a long HTTP Host header to (1) gwpoa.exe in the Post Office Agent, (2) gwmta.exe in the Message Transfer Agent, (3) gwia.exe in the Internet Agent, (4) the WebAccess Agent, or (5) the Monitor Agent.
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 confidenceMultiple stack-based buffer overflows in Novell GroupWise agents (Post Office Agent gwpoa.exe, Message Transfer Agent gwmta.exe, Internet Agent gwia.exe, WebAccess Agent, and Monitor Agent) allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a long HTTP Host header before version 8.02HP.
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<= 8.0.2= 4.1= 4.1a= 5.0= 5.1= 5.2= 5.5= 5.57e= 6.0= 6.0.1= 6.5= 6.5.2CVSS 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.
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Identify installed GroupWise versionCheck the GroupWise installation directory or use system inventory tools to find the version. Common paths: C:\Novell\GroupWise\gwia.exe --version or check registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Novell\GroupWiseAffected if Version is 8.0.2 or lower, or matches 4.1, 4.1a, 5.0, 5.1, 5.2, 5.5, 5.57e, 6.0, 6.0.1, 6.5, or 6.5.2
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Locate GroupWise agent processesUse task manager or process enumeration tools (tasklist /FI "IMAGENAME eq gwia.exe" or similar) to find running agents: gwia.exe (Internet Agent), gwmta.exe (Message Transfer Agent), gwpoa.exe (Post Office Agent)Affected if Any of these agent executables are running on the system
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Verify HTTP handling is enabledInspect the configuration files for the Internet Agent (gwia.cfg) and WebAccess Agent to determine if HTTP/HTTPS listener services are enabled. Check for HTTP port bindings in the agent configurationAffected if HTTP services are enabled on the Internet Agent or WebAccess Agent, making them reachable via HTTP Host header requests
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Check network exposure of agentsReview firewall rules, listening ports (netstat -an), and binding addresses to determine if GroupWise HTTP services (typically ports 80, 443, 7180, 7205) are exposed to network trafficAffected if The HTTP-enabled agents are listening on accessible network interfaces rather than localhost only
A system is affected if it runs any version of Novell GroupWise matching 4.1 through 8.0.2 with the Internet Agent or WebAccess Agent HTTP services enabled 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 GroupWise 8.02HP or later to obtain the fix; alternatively, implement network-level filtering or Web Application Firewall rules to block abnormally long HTTP Host headers targeting these agents.
GroupWise 8.02HP (Hot Patch) or later supported release
- Verify current GroupWise installation version by checking the installed binaries or using the GroupWise administration tools
- Download GroupWise 8.02HP (or later supported version) from the Novell/NetIQ download portal
- Review GroupWise upgrade documentation for your specific component (POA, MTA, WebAccess, Internet Agent, or Monitor)
- Create a complete backup of the GroupWise database, directories, and configuration files
- Stop all GroupWise services (POA, MTA, Internet Agent, WebAccess, Monitor) before upgrading
- Run the GroupWise 8.02HP installer and follow the on-screen upgrade instructions
- Upgrade each affected component: gwpoa.exe (Post Office Agent), gwmta.exe (MTA), gwia.exe (Internet Agent), WebAccess Agent, and Monitor Agent
- After upgrade, verify all services start correctly and the HTTP Host header vulnerability is remediated
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2010-4714 — 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-2010-4714 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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