dbcve.org
Host Based Intrusion Prevention SystemApplication · Ca

CVE-2011-1036

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v2.0 Published 2011-02-25
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
97/100
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 XML Security Database Parser class in the XMLSecDB ActiveX control in the HIPSEngine component in the Management Server before 8.1.0.88, and the client before 1.6.450, in CA Host-Based Intrusion Prevention System (HIPS) 8.1, as used in CA Internet Security Suite (ISS) 2010, allows remote attackers to download an arbitrary program onto a client machine, and execute this program, via vectors involving the SetXml and Save methods.

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

The XMLSecDB ActiveX control in CA Host-Based Intrusion Prevention System contains a vulnerability where the SetXml and Save methods in the XML Security Database Parser class can be exploited by remote attackers to download and execute arbitrary programs on client machines. This is a remote code execution vulnerability via a malicious ActiveX control.

MitigationUpgrade CA HIPS Management Server to version 8.1.0.88 or later and clients to version 1.6.450 or later. If immediate patching is not feasible, disable the vulnerable XMLSecDB ActiveX control or implement network-level restrictions to block external requests to the HIPSEngine component.

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
Host Based Intrusion Prevention SystemApplication
Affected:= 8.1
Internet Security Suite 2010Application
Affected:all versions
Internet Security Suite 2011Application
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
None
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/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 CA Host Based Intrusion Prevention System is installed
    Open Windows Registry and look under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for entries containing 'Computer Associates' or 'CA HIPS' or check HKLM\SOFTWARE\ComputerAssociates for HIPS-related keys
    Affected if Any CA HIPS installation is found with version 8.1 (any subversion below 8.1.0.88)
  2. Check CA HIPS version
    Examine the Version or DisplayVersion value in the CA HIPS registry key found in the previous step, or run 'hipsUtil.exe -version' if present in the installation directory
    Affected if Version equals 8.1 without the 8.1.0.88 patch or later, or version cannot be determined and HIPS 8.1 is installed
  3. Check if CA Internet Security Suite 2010 or 2011 is installed
    Look in Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for 'CA Internet Security Suite' entries, or check HKLM\SOFTWARE\ComputerAssociates for Internet Security Suite keys
    Affected if Any installed version of CA Internet Security Suite 2010 or 2011 is found (all versions are affected)
  4. Verify XMLSecDB ActiveX control presence
    Check Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID for a CLSID containing 'XMLSecDB' or search for 'XMLSecDB' in HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes, or look for xmlsecdb.dll in the CA installation directory
    Affected if The XMLSecDB ActiveX control (xmlsecdb.dll) is registered on the system
  5. Confirm vulnerable component is loadable
    Attempt to locate the XMLSecDB control DLL (typically in the CA product installation folder under a bin or ActiveX subdirectory) and verify it is not blocked or deleted
    Affected if The xmlsecdb.dll file exists and the ActiveX control can be loaded by Internet Explorer

A system is affected if CA HIPS 8.1 (any version below 8.1.0.88) or any version of CA Internet Security Suite 2010/2011 is installed AND the XMLSecDB ActiveX control is present and loadable.

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

Upgrade CA HIPS Management Server to version 8.1.0.88 or later and clients to version 1.6.450 or later. If immediate patching is not feasible, disable the vulnerable XMLSecDB ActiveX control or implement network-level restrictions to block external requests to the HIPSEngine component.

Fix this in Host Based Intrusion Prevention System Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing10.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
32.0 hours of engineering $5,580
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,928.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2011-1036 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2011-1036 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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