Websphere Application ServerApplication · Ibm

CVE-2011-1683

MEDIUM · 6.8 CVSS v2.0 Published 2011-04-13
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
77/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges 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
IBM WebSphere Application Server (WAS) 6.0.x through 6.0.2.43, 6.1.x before 6.1.0.37, and 7.0.x before 7.0.0.17 on z/OS, when a Local OS user registry or Federated Repository with RACF adapter is used, allows remote attackers to obtain unspecified application access via unknown 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 · high confidence

IBM WebSphere Application Server versions 6.0.x through 6.0.2.43, 6.1.x before 6.1.0.37, and 7.0.x before 7.0.0.17 on z/OS with Local OS user registry or Federated Repository using RACF adapter contain an unspecified vulnerability allowing remote attackers to gain unauthorized application access.

MitigationUpgrade IBM WebSphere Application Server to version 6.0.2.43 or higher (6.0.x), 6.1.0.37 or higher (6.1.x), or 7.0.0.17 or higher (7.0.x) on z/OS systems. Alternatively, review and modify the user registry configuration if upgrading is not feasible.

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
Websphere Application ServerApplication
Affected:= 6.0= 6.0.0.1= 6.0.0.2= 6.0.0.3= 6.0.1= 6.0.1.1= 6.0.1.2= 6.0.1.3= 6.0.1.5= 6.0.1.7= 6.0.1.9= 6.0.1.11

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
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Partial
Integrity
Partial
Availability
Partial

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P

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. Verify the operating system is z/OS
    Check the underlying operating system where IBM WebSphere Application Server is installed. On z/OS, this is typically displayed in system logs or can be verified via the 'uname' command or through the WebSphere administration console system information.
    Affected if The server is running on an operating system other than z/OS, this specific vulnerability does not apply.
  2. Identify the WebSphere Application Server version
    Access the WebSphere administration console and navigate to the version information page, or use the 'versionInfo' command from the bin directory. Look for the exact version number in the format such as 6.0.x, 6.1.x, or 7.0.x.
    Affected if The installed version falls within 6.0.x through 6.0.2.43, 6.1.x before 6.1.0.37, or 7.0.x before 7.0.0.17.
  3. Confirm the user registry configuration
    In the WebSphere administration console, navigate to Security > Global Security > User account repository. Check the 'Available realm definitions' setting or the 'User registry' configuration to identify whether Local OS user registry or Federated Repository is in use.
    Affected if The user registry is configured as Local OS or Federated Repository using the RACF adapter.

A system is affected if it runs on z/OS with WebSphere versions 6.0.x through 6.0.2.43, 6.1.x before 6.1.0.37, or 7.0.x before 7.0.0.17, and uses either Local OS user registry or Federated Repository with RACF adapter.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade IBM WebSphere Application Server to version 6.0.2.43 or higher (6.0.x), 6.1.0.37 or higher (6.1.x), or 7.0.0.17 or higher (7.0.x) on z/OS systems. Alternatively, review and modify the user registry configuration if upgrading is not feasible.

Fix this in Websphere Application Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2011-1683 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2011-1683 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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