CVE-2011-1056
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 · uneditedThe installer for Metasploit Framework 3.5.1, when running on Windows, uses weak inherited permissions for the Metasploit installation directory, which allows local users to gain privileges by replacing critical files with a Trojan horse.
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 confidenceThe Metasploit Framework 3.5.1 installer for Windows creates its installation directory with weak inherited permissions, allowing any local user on the system to write to critical executable files. A local attacker could replace Metasploit binaries with malicious versions to escalate privileges to the level of the user running Metasploit.
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= 3.5.1CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- High
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:L/AC:H/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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Locate Metasploit Framework installationSearch for the Metasploit installation directory. Common paths include C:\metasploit, C:\Program Files\metasploit, or C:\Program Files (x86)\metasploit. Also check the default installation path used during setup.Affected if Metasploit Framework version 3.5.1 is found installed on the system
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Identify installed Metasploit versionCheck for version information in the installation directory. Look for a version.txt file, or check the executable properties of msfconsole.exe, msfvenom.exe, or other Metasploit binaries in the installation folder.Affected if The installed version is exactly 3.5.1
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Check directory permissions for weak ACLsOpen Command Prompt as Administrator and run: icacls "<metasploit_install_path>" | findstr /i "Users Authenticated Users" to see if these groups have access entries.Affected if Users or Authenticated Users appear in the icacls output with permissions including (CI)(OI)(M) or (F) - Modify or Full Control permissions
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Verify write access to executable filesRun: icacls "<metasploit_install_path>\*.exe" to list all executables and their permission entries. Focus on msfconsole.exe, msfpayload.exe, msfencode.exe and other core binaries.Affected if Any Metasploit .exe file grants Write or Modify permission to Users or Authenticated Users group
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Confirm inherited permission weaknessRun: icacls "<metasploit_install_path>" to view the full ACL inheritance chain. Check if the directory inherits permissions from a parent location that includes write access for non-admin users.Affected if The directory shows inherited permissions from a parent folder that allow write access by Users or Authenticated Users
A user is affected if Metasploit Framework version 3.5.1 is installed AND the installation directory or its executable files grant Write or Modify permissions to Users or Authenticated Users, allowing any local user to replace binaries.
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 dataRestrict write permissions on the Metasploit installation directory to Administrators only, removing any permissions granted to Users or authenticated users. Alternatively, upgrade to a current version of Metasploit which should have corrected this installer behavior.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2011-1056 — 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-2011-1056 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data