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Rational License Key ServerApplication · Ibm

CVE-2011-1389

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-01-19
Patch available
A vendor patch is available. No clean upgrade release — apply the published patch.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click Patch available

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
Multiple directory traversal vulnerabilities in the vendor daemon in Rational Common Licensing in Telelogic License Server 2.0, Rational License Server 7.x, and ibmratl in IBM Rational License Key Server (RLKS) 8.0 through 8.1.2 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via vectors related to save, rename, and load operations on log files. NOTE: this might overlap CVE-2011-4135.

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

Multiple directory traversal vulnerabilities exist in the vendor daemon of IBM Rational License Key Server (versions 8.0-8.1.2) and earlier versions. The vulnerabilities reside in save, rename, and load operations on log files, allowing attackers to manipulate file paths using '../' sequences to write or load files to arbitrary locations on the system, leading to arbitrary code execution.

MitigationApply the vendor patch immediately. If patching is not feasible, restrict network access to the license server ports and implement additional firewall rules to limit exposure to untrusted networks, as this is a remotely exploitable RCE vulnerability.

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
Rational License Key ServerApplication
Affected:= 8.0= 8.1= 8.1.1= 8.1.2
Rational License ServerApplication
Affected:= 7.0= 7.1= 7.5
Telelogic License ServerApplication
Affected:= 2.0

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
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/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 checks

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

  1. Identify if IBM Rational License Key Server is installed
    Check for the presence of IBM Rational License Key Server, IBM Rational License Server, or IBM Telelogic License Server software on the system. Common installation locations include C:\Program Files\IBM\Rational\RLKS or /opt/ibm/rlks. Use system inventory tools or check installed programs list.
    Affected if Any version 8.0 through 8.1.2, 7.0, 7.1, 7.5, or 2.0 of the listed products is installed.
  2. Determine the installed version
    Locate the vendor daemon executable (typically named vendor.exe, lmgrd.exe, or similar) and query its version information. On Windows, right-click the executable and select Properties > Details. On Unix/Linux, run 'file <daemon_path>' or check version strings within the binary.
    Affected if The installed version matches 8.0, 8.1, 8.1.1, 8.1.2, 7.0, 7.1, 7.5, or 2.0.
  3. Check if the vendor daemon service is running
    On Windows, open Services control panel or run 'sc query' to check for license server services. On Unix/Linux, run 'ps -ef | grep -i vendor' or check for running lmgrd or vendor daemon processes.
    Affected if The vendor daemon process is actively running on the system.
  4. Verify log file configuration
    Examine the license server configuration files (typically with .dat or .cfg extensions in the license installation directory) for log file paths. Check if the daemon is configured to write logs to accessible file system locations.
    Affected if The daemon is configured with writable log file paths that could be manipulated via directory traversal.

The environment is affected if IBM Rational License Key Server version 8.0-8.1.2, IBM Rational License Server 7.0-7.5, or IBM Telelogic License Server 2.0 is installed and the vendor daemon is running.

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
Patch available Apply the vendor patch
Vendor patch www.ibm.com →
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor patch immediately. If patching is not feasible, restrict network access to the license server ports and implement additional firewall rules to limit exposure to untrusted networks, as this is a remotely exploitable RCE vulnerability.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to the latest supported version of IBM Rational License Key Server (contact IBM for current supported releases)

  1. Review the vendor patch documentation at http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21577760 for the specific fix for this directory traversal vulnerability
  2. Identify whether your current version (7.x, 8.x, or 2.0) has an available patch from IBM
  3. Apply the IBM patch following the vendor's documented remediation steps
  4. If no patch is available for your specific version, upgrade to a newer supported version of Rational License Key Server that includes the fix
  5. Verify the patch installation by testing that directory traversal attempts on log file operations (save, rename, load) are properly sanitized and blocked
Caveat Review IBM's migration documentation for any configuration or license file changes required when upgrading between major versions

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

Fix this in Rational License Key Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,800
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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-2011-1389 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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