CVE-2011-1223
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 · uneditedBuffer overflow in the Alternate Data Stream (aka ADS or named stream) functionality in the backup-archive client in IBM Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM) before 5.4.3.4, 5.5.x before 5.5.3, 6.x before 6.1.4, and 6.2.x before 6.2.2 on Windows allows local users to gain privileges via unspecified vectors.
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 · moderate confidenceBuffer overflow vulnerability in the Alternate Data Stream (ADS) handling code of IBM Tivoli Storage Manager backup-archive client on Windows. Local attackers can exploit this to escalate privileges to higher integrity levels. The overflow occurs when processing named streams during backup operations.
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<= 5.4.3.3= 4.2= 4.2.1= 5.1.8= 5.2.5.1= 5.2.7= 5.2.8= 5.2.9= 5.3.0= 5.3.1= 5.3.2= 5.3.3CVSS 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
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:L/AC:L/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 IBM TSM client installationOn Windows, check for the presence of the TSM client in common installation directories such as C:\Program Files\Tivoli\TSM\baclient or C:\Program Files\IBM\Tivoli\TSM\baclient. Also check the Windows registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\IBM\Tivoli Storage Manager\CurrentVersion for installation metadata.Affected if The TSM backup-archive client is installed on the Windows system.
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Identify installed TSM client versionRun 'dsmc version' from the TSM client bin directory (dsmc.exe), or check the Windows registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\IBM\Tivoli Storage Manager\CurrentVersion\InstallDir for the installation path, then locate the version information in the executable or accompanying version file.Affected if The command returns a version number that matches any of the affected versions listed in the CVE.
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Compare version against affected rangeThe affected versions are: 4.2, 4.2.1, 5.1.8, 5.2.5.1, 5.2.7, 5.2.8, 5.2.9, 5.3.0, 5.3.1, 5.3.2, 5.3.3, and any version <= 5.4.3.3. Match your installed version against this list. Note that versions 5.4.3.4, 5.5.3, 6.1.4, 6.2.2 and later are patched.Affected if The installed version is exactly one of the listed affected versions, or is 5.4.3.3 or earlier.
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Verify Windows platformConfirm the operating system is Windows. This vulnerability affects only the Windows version of the TSM backup-archive client, as it specifically targets Alternate Data Stream handling which is a Windows NTFS feature.Affected if The system is running Windows and has the TSM client installed.
A system is affected if it runs any version of IBM Tivoli Storage Manager backup-archive client on Windows that matches the affected version list, particularly versions 5.3.x through 5.4.3.3, where the ADS handling during backup operations can be exploited for local privilege escalation.
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 dataApply IBM TSM client patches: upgrade to 5.4.3.4+, 5.5.3+, 6.1.4+, or 6.2.2+ per the version branch. Alternatively, restrict local non-privileged access to systems running the TSM client and audit backup job execution.
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- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2011-1223 — 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-2011-1223 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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