Zenworks Configuration ManagementApplication · Novell

CVE-2011-3175

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-04-09
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
High EPSS Public exploit 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
Stack-based buffer overflow in the Preboot Service in Novell ZENworks Configuration Management (ZCM) 11.1 and 11.1a allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via an opcode 0x6c request.

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

Stack-based buffer overflow in the Preboot Service of Novell ZENworks Configuration Management versions 11.1 and 11.1a allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted requests using opcode 0x6c. The overflow occurs on the stack, enabling potential complete system compromise.

MitigationApply vendor patches for ZCM 11.1/11.1a if available; otherwise restrict network access to the Preboot Service or disable it if not required, given the CVSS 10 severity and remote code execution capability.

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
Zenworks Configuration ManagementApplication
Affected:= 11.1= 11.1a

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 ZCM installation
    Check if Novell ZENworks Configuration Management is installed on the system by looking for ZCM-related processes, services, or installation directories.
    Affected if ZENworks Configuration Management is not installed, the system is not affected by this specific CVE.
  2. Verify ZCM version
    Determine the installed ZCM version by checking the product version through the ZCM admin console, registry, or installation logs. Compare the version number to the affected versions 11.1 and 11.1a.
    Affected if The installed version is 11.1 or 11.1a exactly.
  3. Confirm Preboot Service status
    Identify whether the ZENworks Preboot Service (sometimes called ZENworks Preboot Service or Preboot Service) is running or enabled on the system.
    Affected if The Preboot Service is enabled or running on a vulnerable version (11.1 or 11.1a).

The system is affected only if Novell ZENworks Configuration Management versions 11.1 or 11.1a are installed AND the Preboot Service is enabled.

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

Apply vendor patches for ZCM 11.1/11.1a if available; otherwise restrict network access to the Preboot Service or disable it if not required, given the CVSS 10 severity and remote code execution capability.

Fix this in Zenworks Configuration Management Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,880
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Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2011-3175 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2011-3175 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