CVE-2011-1216
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 · uneditedStack-based buffer overflow in assr.dll in Autonomy KeyView, as used in IBM Lotus Notes before 8.5.2 FP3, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted tag data in an Applix spreadsheet attachment, aka SPR PRAD8823A7.
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 confidenceStack-based buffer overflow in assr.dll (Autonomy KeyView) allows remote code execution when IBM Lotus Notes processes a specially crafted Applix spreadsheet attachment containing malicious tag data. The vulnerability exists in versions prior to 8.5.2 FP3.
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<= 8.5.2.2= 3.0= 3.0.0.1= 3.0.0.2= 4.2= 4.2.1= 4.2.2= 4.5= 4.6= 4.6.7a= 4.6.7h= 5.0CVSS 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.
-
Identify installed IBM Lotus Notes versionOpen IBM Lotus Notes, go to Help > About IBM Lotus Notes, or run 'nsd -version' from the Notes program directory to determine the exact version numberAffected if The installed version is 8.5.2.2 or lower, or matches one of these: 3.0, 3.0.0.1, 3.0.0.2, 4.2, 4.2.1, 4.2.2, 4.5, 4.6, 4.6.7a, 4.6.7h, or 5.0
-
Locate assr.dll in the Notes installationSearch for assr.dll in the IBM Lotus Notes program directory, typically under the 'notes' or 'framework' subfolderAffected if The file assr.dll exists in the Notes installation directory, indicating the vulnerable Autonomy KeyView component is present
-
Confirm Applix spreadsheet attachment handling is possibleVerify that IBM Lotus Notes is configured to handle or preview attachments. Check if KeyView filter support for Applix files is present in the installationAffected if Notes can process or preview Applix spreadsheet attachments, which is the attack vector for this vulnerability
You are affected if IBM Lotus Notes version is 8.5.2.2 or lower, or matches any of the specific vulnerable versions (3.0 through 5.0), and the assr.dll component is present and capable of processing Applix spreadsheet attachments.
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 · scopedUpdate IBM Lotus Notes to version 8.5.2 FP3 or later to remediate the vulnerability. Until patched, avoid opening untrusted Applix spreadsheet attachments.
IBM Lotus Notes 8.5.2 FP3 (Fix Pack 3) or later
- Download IBM Lotus Notes 8.5.2 FP3 (Fix Pack 3) or later from the official IBM Fix Central website
- Verify the current installed version of Lotus Notes by checking About IBM Notes in the Help menu
- Close all running instances of Lotus Notes
- Install the downloaded fix pack (8.5.2 FP3 or later) following IBM's standard installation procedure
- Restart the Lotus Notes client after installation completes
- Confirm the version now shows 8.5.2.3 or higher to verify the patch was applied
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2011-1216 — 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-2011-1216 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
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.
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