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PcanywhereApplication · Symantec

CVE-2011-3478

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-01-25
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
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
The host-services component in Symantec pcAnywhere 12.5.x through 12.5.3, and IT Management Suite pcAnywhere Solution 7.0 (aka 12.5.x) and 7.1 (aka 12.6.x), does not properly filter login and authentication data, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted session on TCP port 5631.

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 host-services component in Symantec pcAnywhere 12.5.x through 12.5.3 and IT Management Suite versions 7.0 and 7.1 fails to properly filter login and authentication data, allowing remote attackers to inject and execute arbitrary code via a specially crafted session on TCP port 5631.

MitigationApply available vendor patches for pcAnywhere, or if patches are unavailable for these legacy versions, disable the pcAnywhere service and restrict network access to port 5631 via firewall rules until migration to a supported solution can be completed.

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
PcanywhereApplication
Affected:= 12.5= 12.5.539= 12.6.65= 12.6.7580

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. Identify if pcAnywhere is installed
    Check system for pcAnywhere installation - look for the application in installed programs, or check for pcAnywhere service running on the system
    Affected if pcAnywhere is installed and running on the system
  2. Determine the installed pcAnywhere version
    Use system tools to view the installed version of pcAnywhere (typically via Add/Remove Programs, program properties, or querying the pcAnywhere service)
    Affected if Installed version matches 12.5.x through 12.5.3, or specifically equals 12.5, 12.5.539, 12.6.65, or 12.6.7580
  3. Verify if pcAnywhere service is active and listening on port 5631
    Check if the pcAnywhere service is running and listening on TCP port 5631 using netstat or similar network diagnostic tools
    Affected if The pcAnywhere service is running and port 5631 is in a listening state
  4. Assess network accessibility of port 5631
    Determine if TCP port 5631 is exposed to network access from untrusted sources, either through direct exposure or firewall rules that allow inbound connections
    Affected if Port 5631 is accessible from network locations beyond trusted local users

System is affected if pcAnywhere with an affected version (12.5.x through 12.5.3 or specifically 12.5, 12.5.539, 12.6.65, 12.6.7580) is installed, the service is running, and port 5631 is accessible on the network.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply available vendor patches for pcAnywhere, or if patches are unavailable for these legacy versions, disable the pcAnywhere service and restrict network access to port 5631 via firewall rules until migration to a supported solution can be completed.

Recommended fix High confidence

pcAnywhere 12.6.1 or later (contact Symantec for the specific security patch)

  1. 1. Identify all systems running Symantec pcAnywhere version 12.5.x through 12.5.3, or 12.6.x through 12.6.7580.
  2. 2. Contact Symantec Customer Support or visit the SymCorp security portal to obtain the security patch for CVE-2011-3478.
  3. 3. Apply the hotfix/patch provided by Symantec to address the improper authentication filtering in the host-services component.
  4. 4. Alternatively, upgrade pcAnywhere to version 12.6.1 or later which contains the security fix.
  5. 5. After patching, verify the fix by reviewing release notes or consulting Symantec documentation.
  6. 6. Test that pcAnywhere functionality remains intact after applying the patch.
Caveat Older pcAnywhere clients may need to be updated to be compatible with the patched host; ensure all components are updated to maintain interoperability

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Pcanywhere Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2011-3478 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