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SmarterstatsApplication · Smartertools

CVE-2011-2148

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2011-05-20
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
Admin/frmSite.aspx in the SmarterTools SmarterStats 6.0 web server allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands via vectors involving a leading and trailing & (ampersand) character, and (1) an STTTState cookie, (2) the ctl00%24MPH%24txtAdminNewPassword_SettingText parameter, (3) the ctl00%24MPH%24txtSmarterLogDirectory parameter, (4) the ctl00%24MPH%24ucSiteSeoSearchEngineSettings%24chklistEngines_SettingCheckBox%2414 parameter, (5) the ctl00%24MPH%24ucSiteSeoSettings%24txtSeoMaxKeywords_SettingText parameter, or (6) the ctl00_MPH_grdLogLocations_HiddenLSR parameter, related to an "OS command injection" issue.

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

OS command injection vulnerability in SmarterTools SmarterStats 6.0 admin interface (frmSite.aspx). Multiple parameters including STTTState cookie, txtAdminNewPassword, txtSmarterLogDirectory, and others accept unsanitized input with leading/trailing ampersand characters that gets passed to the underlying OS shell, allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands.

MitigationUpgrade to a patched version of SmarterStats; if no update available, immediately restrict network access to the admin interface or disable the affected functionality.

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
SmarterstatsApplication
Affected:= 6.0

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. Verify SmarterStats installation
    Check if SmarterStats service is running on the system. Look for processes named 'SmarterStats' or check installed programs list for SmarterTools SmarterStats.
    Affected if SmarterStats 6.0 is installed and running on the system
  2. Confirm exact version number
    Check the installed version through Windows Programs and Features, or look for version info in the SmarterStats installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\SmarterTools\SmarterStats\).
    Affected if Installed version is exactly 6.0 (not a later patched version)
  3. Identify admin interface accessibility
    Check if the web-based admin interface is reachable. The affected page is /frmSite.aspx. Verify by attempting to access the SmarterStats web portal admin area.
    Affected if The admin interface (frmSite.aspx) is accessible via HTTP/HTTPS
  4. Check network exposure of admin port
    Identify which port SmarterStats web interface is listening on (default is typically 9999 or 443). Use netstat or check firewall rules to determine if this port is exposed to untrusted networks.
    Affected if Port 9999 (or the configured admin port) is open to untrusted/internal networks
  5. Test parameter injection susceptibility
    Examine whether parameters like STTTState cookie, txtAdminNewPassword, txtSmarterLogDirectory accept input with leading/trailing ampersand characters. This requires controlled testing as it involves sending specially crafted requests to frmSite.aspx.
    Affected if Parameters accept unsanitized ampersand characters without input validation or rejection

A system is affected if SmarterStats version 6.0 is installed with its admin interface (frmSite.aspx) accessible and the affected parameters accept unsanitized ampersand-prefixed input.

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 to a patched version of SmarterStats; if no update available, immediately restrict network access to the admin interface or disable the affected functionality.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest stable SmarterStats version (7.0 or higher recommended; 6.0 is severely outdated and no longer supported)

  1. 1. Backup your current SmarterStats configuration and database before making any changes.
  2. 2. Download the latest version of SmarterStats from the official SmarterTools website (smartertools.com).
  3. 3. Install the latest version on a test system first to verify compatibility with your setup.
  4. 4. Migrate your configuration and data to the new version.
  5. 5. Test the installation thoroughly to ensure all functionality works correctly.
  6. 6. Deploy the updated version to production.
  7. 7. Verify that the Admin/frmSite.aspx page no longer accepts command injection payloads in the affected parameters (STTTState cookie, txtAdminNewPassword_SettingText, txtSmarterLogDirectory, chklistEngines_SettingCheckBox$14, txtSeoMaxKeywords_SettingText, grdLogLocations_HiddenLSR).
Caveat Upgrading from 6.0 to a much newer version may require configuration migration and could have changes in UI or features; test thoroughly before production deployment

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

Fix this in Smarterstats Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
32.0 hours of engineering $5,600
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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-2011-2148 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