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VpncApplication · Suse

CVE-2011-2660

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v2.0 Published 2011-09-06
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 0.5.1 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
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
The modify_resolvconf_suse script in the vpnc package before 0.5.1-55.10.1 in SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11 SP1 might allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands via a crafted DNS domain name.

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 modify_resolvconf_suse script in the vpnc package fails to properly sanitize DNS domain names before passing them to shell commands, allowing remote attackers to inject arbitrary commands via specially crafted DNS responses.

MitigationUpgrade to vpnc version 0.5.1-55.10.1 or later which includes proper input sanitization. If patching is not immediately feasible, implement network-level controls to restrict VPN client's ability to manipulate DNS configuration.

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
VpncApplication
Affected:<= 0.5.1
Linux Enterprise DesktopOperating system
Affected:= 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
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Partial
Integrity
Partial
Availability
Partial

AV:N/AC:L/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. Check if vpnc package is installed
    Run 'rpm -q vpnc' on SUSE-based systems or check package manager output
    Affected if vpnc package is installed and version is 0.5.1 or lower
  2. Determine the installed vpnc version
    Run 'rpm -q --info vpnc' or 'vpnc --version' to see the exact version number
    Affected if Version is 0.5.1 or earlier (compare to affected range: <= 0.5.1)
  3. Locate the modify_resolvconf_suse script
    Check for the presence of 'modify_resolvconf_suse' in /etc/vpnc/, /usr/sbin/, or similar directories using 'find /etc -name "*resolvconf*suse*" 2>/dev/null'
    Affected if The script exists in the vpnc installation directory
  4. Verify if vpnc is configured to use the SUSE resolvconf script
    Check vpnc configuration files in /etc/vpnc/ for lines containing 'resolvconf' or 'modify_resolvconf_suse', or inspect the vpnc-defaults file
    Affected if Configuration enables use of modify_resolvconf_suse for DNS handling

You are affected if vpnc version is 0.5.1 or lower AND the modify_resolvconf_suse script is present and actively used for DNS configuration.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 0.5.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to vpnc version 0.5.1-55.10.1 or later which includes proper input sanitization. If patching is not immediately feasible, implement network-level controls to restrict VPN client's ability to manipulate DNS configuration.

Fix this in Vpnc Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,090
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,744.

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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-2011-2660 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