CVE-2011-3488
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 · uneditedUse-after-free vulnerability in Equis MetaStock 11 and earlier allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a malformed (1) mwc chart, (2) mws chart, (3) mwt template, or (4) mwl layout.
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 use-after-free vulnerability exists in Equis MetaStock versions 11 and earlier. When parsing malformed chart files (.mwc, .mws) or template/layout files (.mwt, .mwl), the application fails to properly manage memory allocation, allowing an attacker to trigger execution of arbitrary code via a specially crafted file.
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<= 11.0= 8.0= 9.0= 9.1= 9.2= 10.0= 10.1CVSS 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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Verify MetaStock installationLook for MetaStock installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\Equis\MetaStock or C:\MetaStock) or check Windows Add/Remove Programs for Equis MetaStock entryAffected if MetaStock is present on the system
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Determine installed MetaStock versionRight-click the MetaStock executable (commonly metac.exe or ms.exe in the installation folder), select Properties, and check the Details tab for version information; alternatively check the version listed in Add/Remove ProgramsAffected if Version is 8.0, 9.0, 9.1, 9.2, 10.0, 10.1, or any version numbered 11.0 or lower
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Check for file association handlingOpen Windows File Explorer, navigate to a folder containing .mwc, .mws, .mwt, or .mwl files, right-click one and select Properties to see if MetaStock is associated as the default handlerAffected if MetaStock is configured as the default handler for .mwc, .mws, .mwt, or .mwl file extensions
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Inspect recent file accessReview the application's recently opened files list or Windows Jump List for any recently accessed chart files (.mwc, .mws) or template files (.mwt, .mwl) from potentially untrusted sourcesAffected if MetaStock has recently opened or parsed .mwc, .mws, .mwt, or .mwl files, especially from external or untrusted sources
A system is affected if MetaStock versions 8.0 through 11.0 (or any version numbered 11 or lower) is installed and configured to open the vulnerable .mwc, .mws, .mwt, or .mwl file types.
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 dataApply vendor patches if available; otherwise, restrict handling of MetaStock files from untrusted sources and consider migrating to a supported version or alternative software solution.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2011-3488 — 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-2011-3488 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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