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SmarterstatsApplication · Smartertools

CVE-2011-2159

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
The SmarterTools SmarterStats 6.0 web server omits the Content-Type header for certain resources, which might allow remote attackers to have an unspecified impact by leveraging an interpretation conflict involving (1) Admin/Defaults/frmDefaultSiteSettings.aspx, (2) Admin/Defaults/frmServerDefaults.aspx, (3) Admin/frmReportSettings.aspx, (4) Admin/frmSite.aspx, (5) App_Themes/Default/ButtonBarIcons.xml, (6) App_Themes/Default/Skin.xml, (7) Client/frmImportSettings.aspx, (8) Client/frmSeoSettings.aspx, (9) Services/Web.config, (10) aspnet_client/system_web/4_0_30319/, (11) clientaccesspolicy.xml, (12) cloudscan.exe, (13) crossdomain.xml, or (14) sitemap.xml. NOTE: it is possible that only clients, not the SmarterStats product, could be affected by this 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 · moderate confidence

SmarterStats 6.0 web server fails to send Content-Type HTTP headers for certain static and dynamic resources (including .aspx pages, XML files, and configuration files), which could allow MIME-type confusion attacks where clients misinterpret file content types.

MitigationConfigure the web server to explicitly send appropriate Content-Type headers for all served resources, or upgrade to a patched version if available.

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. Confirm SmarterStats version
    Check the installed SmarterStats version through Windows Programs and Features, or access the SmarterStats admin interface and look for the version number in About/Help sections
    Affected if The installed version is 6.0 exactly (note: only version 6.0 is listed as affected)
  2. Test .aspx page for Content-Type header
    Use a web browser developer tool, curl, or PowerShell Invoke-WebRequest to make an HTTP request to any .aspx page served by SmarterStats (such as a login page or default page). Inspect the response headers and check if a Content-Type header is present
    Affected if The HTTP response lacks a Content-Type header for .aspx pages
  3. Test XML file for Content-Type header
    Request any XML file hosted by the SmarterStats web server (common paths may include / or subdirectories with .xml extensions). Inspect the response headers for the presence of Content-Type
    Affected if The HTTP response lacks a Content-Type header for XML files
  4. Test configuration files for Content-Type header
    Request any configuration file served by the web server (such as .config, .json, or similar files if accessible). Inspect the response headers for the presence of Content-Type
    Affected if The HTTP response lacks a Content-Type header for configuration files

You are affected if SmarterStats version 6.0 is installed AND at least one of the tested resource types (.aspx, XML, config files) returns responses without a Content-Type HTTP header.

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

Configure the web server to explicitly send appropriate Content-Type headers for all served resources, or upgrade to a patched version if available.

Fix this in Smarterstats Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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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-2011-2159 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