dbcve.org
EdubuntuOperating system · Ubuntu

CVE-2011-0724

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2011-02-19
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
The Live DVD for Edubuntu 9.10, 10.04 LTS, and 10.10 does not correctly regenerate iTALC private keys after installation, which causes each installation to have the same fixed key, which allows remote attackers to gain privileges.

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

Edubuntu Live DVD images for versions 9.10, 10.04 LTS, and 10.10 ship with pre-generated iTALC (Intelligent Teaching And Learning with Computers) private keys embedded in the ISO. When users install from these Live DVDs, the keys are not regenerated, leaving all installations with identical fixed keys from the original image. An attacker who obtains these default keys can remotely authenticate to any Edubuntu system installed from affected Live DVD versions and gain elevated privileges.

MitigationRegenerate iTALC private keys on all systems installed from affected Edubuntu Live DVD versions, or reinstall using updated ISO images that properly generate unique keys during installation. Network isolation can reduce exposure to remote attacks until remediation is complete.

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
EdubuntuOperating system
Affected:= 9.10= 10.04= 10.10
Live DvdHardware / appliance
Affected:all versions

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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify Edubuntu version and installation source
    Run 'lsb_release -a' to check if the system is Ubuntu Edubuntu and its version. Check if installed from Live DVD by examining /cdrom/.disk/info or checking installation media history.
    Affected if System is Edubuntu 9.10, 10.04 LTS, or 10.10 and was installed from a Live DVD image
  2. Verify iTALC installation
    Check if iTALC is installed by running 'dpkg -l | grep italc' or searching for 'italc' in installed packages.
    Affected if iTALC package is installed on the system
  3. Locate iTALC private key files
    Search for iTALC private key files in common locations such as /var/lib/tomcat/.italc/, /etc/italc/, or the user's home directory under .italc/. Use: find / -name '*italc*' -o -name 'private*key*' 2>/dev/null.
    Affected if Private key files exist in system directories, indicating iTALC has been used or configured
  4. Compare system keys against known default keys
    If iTALC keys are found, examine their creation date and compare against the installation date. Keys created at the same time as system installation from an affected Live DVD indicate the default embedded keys were never regenerated.
    Affected if Private keys were created during initial system setup and have not been regenerated since installation

A system is affected if it is Edubuntu 9.10, 10.04, or 10.10 installed from a Live DVD and has iTALC private keys that were never regenerated after installation.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Regenerate iTALC private keys on all systems installed from affected Edubuntu Live DVD versions, or reinstall using updated ISO images that properly generate unique keys during installation. Network isolation can reduce exposure to remote attacks until remediation is complete.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Current supported Edubuntu release (latest LTS or stable)

  1. 1. Back up all important data from the affected Edubuntu system
  2. 2. Obtain a current, supported version of Edubuntu (or Ubuntu with iTALC) from the official Ubuntu repositories
  3. 3. Perform a fresh installation using the current Live DVD/ISO
  4. 4. If migration is needed, transfer user data and reconfigure iTALC after installation to ensure new keys are generated
  5. 5. Verify that iTALC keys are unique to this installation by checking the key location (typically /var/lib/italc/ or ~/.italc/)
Caveat Fresh installation required; configuration will need to be recreated; iTALC master/slave relationships will need to be re-established

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Edubuntu Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
21.0 hours of engineering $3,680
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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-2011-0724 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