CVE-2011-3138
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 · uneditedThe LTPA STS module support implementation in IBM Tivoli Federated Identity Manager (TFIM) 6.2.0 before 6.2.0.9 and Tivoli Federated Identity Manager Business Gateway (TFIMBG) 6.2.0 before 6.2.0.9 relies on a static instance of a Java Development Kit (JDK) class, which might allow attackers to bypass LTPA token signature verification by leveraging lack of thread safety.
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 confidenceThe LTPA STS module in IBM TFIM 6.2.0 before 6.2.0.9 uses a static instance of a JDK class that is not thread-safe, allowing attackers to potentially bypass LTPA token signature verification through race conditions or concurrent access manipulation.
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= 6.2.0= 6.2.0.1= 6.2.0.2= 6.2.0.3= 6.2.0.8= 6.2.0= 6.2.0.1= 6.2.0.2= 6.2.0.3= 6.2.0.8CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- None
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N
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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Identify if IBM TFIM or TFIMBG is installedLook for IBM Tivoli Federated Identity Manager or Business Gateway installations in the system. Check for installation directories typically under /opt/IBM or C:\Program Files\IBM, or use system inventory tools to find IBM software.Affected if The product is IBM Tivoli Federated Identity Manager or Tivoli Federated Identity Manager Business Gateway.
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Determine the installed version of TFIM or TFIMBGCheck the product version using the IBM installation manager, or look for version files in the installation directory. Common locations include the product's About or Version information in the administration console.Affected if The installed version is 6.2.0, 6.2.0.1, 6.2.0.2, 6.2.0.3, or 6.2.0.8.
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Check if the LTPA STS module is configured or enabledExamine the TFIM configuration for LTPA Security Token Service (STS) module settings. This can typically be found in the TFIM administration console under Security Token Service configurations, or in the relevant XML configuration files for the STS module.Affected if The LTPA STS module is enabled or configured in the TFIM installation.
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Verify if the system processes LTPA tokensReview the system's security configuration to determine whether LTPA token issuance, validation, or processing is active. Check for LTPA-related policies or token handlers in the TFIM configuration.Affected if The system is configured to process LTPA tokens through the STS module.
A system is affected if it runs IBM TFIM or TFIMBG versions 6.2.0 through 6.2.0.8 with the LTPA STS module enabled and processing LTPA tokens, as the static JDK instance used by the module is not thread-safe.
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 dataUpgrade to TFIM/TFIMBG version 6.2.0.9 or later which addresses the thread-safety issue in the LTPA STS module implementation.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing10.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2011-3138 — 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-2011-3138 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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