CVE-2011-3577
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 · uneditedIBM WebSphere Commerce 6.x through 6.0.0.11 and 7.x through 7.0.0.3 does not properly implement Activity Token authentication for Web Services, which has unspecified impact and attack vectors.
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 confidenceIBM WebSphere Commerce versions 6.x through 6.0.0.11 and 7.x through 7.0.0.3 contain a flaw in the Activity Token authentication mechanism for Web Services. This improper implementation allows attackers to bypass authentication and access Web Services without valid credentials, potentially exposing sensitive commerce data and operations.
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= 6.0.0.0= 6.0.0.1= 6.0.0.2= 6.0.0.3= 6.0.0.4= 6.0.0.5= 6.0.0.6= 6.0.0.7= 6.0.0.8= 6.0.0.9= 6.0.0.10= 6.0.0.11CVSS 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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Identify installed WebSphere Commerce versionLocate the version file or use the WebSphere Commerce configuration tool (for example, check the WC_installdir/version directory or run the versionInfo command from the bin directory). Compare the version number against the affected ranges: 6.0.0.0 through 6.0.0.11, or 7.0.0.0 through 7.0.0.3.Affected if The installed version falls within 6.0.0.0-6.0.0.11 or 7.0.0.0-7.0.0.3.
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Confirm Web Services are exposedExamine the WebSphere Commerce Web Services configuration files (such as the web.xml deployment descriptor or the WSDL endpoint definitions in the WC_eardir/xml/config directory). Look for exposed servlet mappings or endpoint definitions that handle SOAP or REST-based commerce operations.Affected if Web Services endpoints are defined and accessible in the Commerce environment.
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Verify Activity Token authentication is in useInspect the WebSphere Commerce security configuration (typically in the WC_eardir/xml/config/Commerce_security.xml or through the WebSphere Administrative Console). Look for Activity Token-based authentication settings configured for the Web Services consumer or provider.Affected if Activity Token authentication is enabled or configured for Web Services interactions.
A user is affected if their environment runs an affected version (6.0.0.0-6.0.0.11 or 7.0.0.0-7.0.0.3) AND has Web Services exposed with Activity Token authentication enabled.
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 IBM fixes for this vulnerability (typically included in later fix packs) or upgrade to a supported version beyond 7.0.0.3. Ensure Activity Token authentication is properly configured according to IBM's security guidelines for Web Services.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2011-3577 — 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-2011-3577 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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