CVE-2011-0487
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 · uneditedICQ 7 does not verify the authenticity of updates, which allows man-in-the-middle attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted file that is fetched through an automatic-update mechanism.
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 confidenceICQ 7's automatic update mechanism does not verify the authenticity or integrity of update files before execution. An attacker performing a man-in-the-middle attack can intercept the update request and deliver a malicious payload, which ICQ will execute with full privileges, allowing arbitrary code execution.
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= 7CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify ICQ versionOpen ICQ, go to Help > About, or check Add/Remove Programs (Windows) to find the installed ICQ version numberAffected if The installed version is ICQ 7.x (any minor version)
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Locate ICQ executableCheck Program Files folder for icq.exe or search for ICQ executable on the system to confirm installationAffected if ICQ 7 executable exists on the system regardless of whether it is currently running
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Check automatic update settingIn ICQ 7, go to Settings > General > Automatic Updates, or inspect ICQ configuration files in the application data folder for update-related settingsAffected if Automatic updates are enabled (the vulnerability requires this setting to be on)
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Assess network exposureDetermine if the system connects to the internet through networks where a man-in-the-middle attack is possible (unsecured WiFi, compromised routers, untrusted networks)Affected if The system uses networks where MITM attacks are plausible (this is the attack vector for exploiting the vulnerability)
The system is affected if ICQ version 7 is installed with automatic updates enabled and the system connects to networks where MITM attacks are possible.
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.
From vendor dataDisable automatic updates and manually download updates from verified sources. Use VPN or TLS-capable networks to reduce MITM exposure. Migrate to a current messaging client with patched update mechanisms.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2011-0487 — 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-2011-0487 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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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