CVE-2011-2653
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 · uneditedDirectory traversal vulnerability in the rtrlet component in Novell ZENworks Asset Management (ZAM) 7.5 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by uploading an executable file.
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 confidenceA directory traversal vulnerability exists in the rtrlet web component of Novell ZENworks Asset Management 7.5. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to upload executable files to arbitrary locations on the server by manipulating file paths during the upload process, leading to remote code execution.
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= 7.5CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm ZENworks Asset Management installationLocate and inspect the installed Novell ZENworks Asset Management components. Check for presence of the 'rtrlet' web application directory or WAR file within the application server (e.g., in Tomcat, JBoss, or the bundled Novell server). Identify the version by inspecting version files, installer logs, or the application itself.Affected if The system has Novell ZENworks Asset Management version 7.5 installed with the rtrlet web component present.
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Verify rtrlet web component is exposedCheck if the rtrlet servlet is mapped and accessible in the web container. Inspect the deployment descriptor (web.xml) for rtrlet servlet mappings, and test for HTTP access to rtrlet endpoints (e.g., /rtrlet/* or similar paths).Affected if The rtrlet web component is deployed and externally accessible via HTTP/HTTPS.
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Identify file upload endpoint availabilityLocate the file upload functionality within the rtrlet component. Review application configuration files or source code if available, and probe for upload-related URLs or forms within the rtrlet web path.Affected if A file upload endpoint exists within the rtrlet component and accepts user-supplied file paths.
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Assess upload path validationReview any available configuration or logs related to file uploads in ZENworks. If access to upload functionality is possible, attempt to provide a path with traversal sequences (e.g., ../../../) to see if the application sanitizes or rejects such input.Affected if The upload mechanism accepts path traversal sequences without proper validation, allowing files to be written outside intended directories.
The environment is affected if Novell ZENworks Asset Management version 7.5 is running with the rtrlet web component and an unauthenticated or authenticated user can access a file upload function that does not sanitize path traversal characters.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataRestrict file upload functionality to validate and sanitize all file paths, implement allowlist-based file type restrictions, and ensure uploaded files are stored outside web-accessible directories with non-executable permissions.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2011-2653 — 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 sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2011-2653 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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
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