dbcve.org
AsteriskApplication · Digium

CVE-2011-1599

HIGH · 9.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2011-04-27
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
96/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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
manager.c in the Manager Interface in Asterisk Open Source 1.4.x before 1.4.40.1, 1.6.1.x before 1.6.1.25, 1.6.2.x before 1.6.2.17.3, and 1.8.x before 1.8.3.3 and Asterisk Business Edition C.x.x before C.3.6.4 does not properly check for the system privilege, which allows remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary commands via an Originate action that has an Async header in conjunction with an Application header.

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 Asterisk Manager Interface (manager.c) fails to properly validate the system privilege for authenticated users. A remote authenticated attacker can execute arbitrary shell commands by sending an Originate action with an Async header combined with an Application header, bypassing privilege checks.

MitigationUpgrade Asterisk to version 1.4.40.1/1.6.1.25/1.6.2.17.3/1.8.3.3/C.3.6.4 or later. Additionally, restrict Manager Interface access to trusted IP addresses via AMI configuration and limit user privileges to minimum required.

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
AsteriskApplication
Affected:= 1.4.0= 1.4.1= 1.4.2= 1.4.3= 1.4.10= 1.4.10.1= 1.4.11= 1.4.12= 1.4.12.1= 1.4.13= 1.4.14= 1.4.15

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
Single
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/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 Asterisk version
    Run 'asterisk -V' or 'asterisk -r' to display the running version of Asterisk
    Affected if The installed version matches 1.4.0 through 1.4.15 (specifically 1.4.0, 1.4.1, 1.4.2, 1.4.3, 1.4.10, 1.4.10.1, 1.4.11, 1.4.12, 1.4.12.1, 1.4.13, 1.4.14, or 1.4.15)
  2. Confirm Manager Interface is enabled
    Inspect the Asterisk configuration file (typically /etc/asterisk/manager.conf or /etc/asterisk/manager.conf.local) and look for 'enabled = yes' under the [general] section
    Affected if The Manager Interface is enabled (enabled=yes) and bound to a network address accessible to attackers
  3. List Manager user accounts
    Review the manager.conf configuration file to identify all user sections (lines starting with [username]) and check their 'read' and 'write' permissions
    Affected if There exist manager users with 'system' or 'all' permissions that allow the Originate action
  4. Verify Originate action permissions
    Check manager user configurations for 'write=system', 'write=originate', or 'write=all' permissions which enable the vulnerable Originate action
    Affected if Any manager user has write permissions that include the Originate action and the system or command class
  5. Inspect Async configuration for users
    Review manager user configurations for the 'async=yes' setting which enables the Async header capability used in the exploit
    Affected if Any manager user has async=yes enabled alongside permissions for the Originate action

You are affected if running a vulnerable 1.4.x version with the Manager Interface enabled and a manager user account that has both Originate action permissions and Async enabled.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade Asterisk to version 1.4.40.1/1.6.1.25/1.6.2.17.3/1.8.3.3/C.3.6.4 or later. Additionally, restrict Manager Interface access to trusted IP addresses via AMI configuration and limit user privileges to minimum required.

Recommended fix High confidence

Asterisk 1.4.40.1 or later in the 1.4.x branch (or migrate to a supported branch like 1.8.x, 10.x, or 11.x)

  1. Identify your current Asterisk version using 'asterisk -V' or 'asterisk -r -x "core show version"'
  2. Stop the Asterisk service: 'service asterisk stop' or 'asterisk -rx "core stop now"'
  3. Backup your configuration directory (typically /etc/asterisk) and any custom scripts
  4. Download Asterisk 1.4.40.1 or later from downloads.digium.com or your distribution's package repository
  5. Install the new version using your distribution's package manager or by compiling from source
  6. Verify the Manager interface configuration (/etc/asterisk/manager.conf) has proper security settings
  7. Start the Asterisk service: 'service asterisk start'
  8. Verify the service is running and the Manager interface is accessible
Caveat Minor: Ensure custom dialplan and manager configurations are compatible with the new version; major branch upgrades may require configuration changes

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

Fix this in Asterisk Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,088.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2011-1599 — 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-2011-1599 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