Kexec ToolsApplication · Redhat
CVE-2011-3588
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 SSH configuration in the Red Hat mkdumprd script for kexec-tools, as distributed in the kexec-tools 1.x before 1.102pre-154 and 2.x before 2.0.0-209 packages in Red Hat Enterprise Linux, disables the StrictHostKeyChecking option, which allows man-in-the-middle attackers to spoof kdump servers, and obtain sensitive core information, by using an arbitrary SSH key.
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 mkdumprd script in kexec-tools configures SSH for kdump crash dump transfers with StrictHostKeyChecking disabled. This disables SSH host key verification, allowing MITM attackers to spoof the kdump server and intercept sensitive core dump files containing potentially confidential system data.
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
Kexec ToolsApplication
<= 1.102pre-126<= 2.0.0-188CVSS 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
- Adjacent
- Complexity
- M
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
AV:A/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:N/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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Check installed kexec-tools versionRun 'rpm -q kexec-tools' or 'dpkg -l kexec-tools' to find the installed version numberAffected if Version is less than or equal to 1.102pre-126 (RHEL 5 era) or less than or equal to 2.0.0-188 (RHEL 6 era)
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Verify kdump is configured for SSH transfersInspect the kdump configuration file (typically /etc/kdump.conf) for SSH-related dump targets such as 'net user@host' or 'ssh user@host' directivesAffected if Kdump is configured to send crash dumps over SSH to a remote server
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Inspect SSH client configuration for kdumpLocate and examine the mkdumprd-generated SSH configuration or the system-wide SSH client config that kdump uses. Look for the StrictHostKeyChecking directiveAffected if StrictHostKeyChecking is set to 'no', 'false', or 'disabled', or is absent which defaults to prompting (not secure for automated kdump transfers)
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Check known_hosts configuration for kdump SSHVerify that the system has proper host key entries in ~/.ssh/known_hosts or /etc/ssh/ssh_known_hosts for the kdump target serverAffected if No known_hosts entry exists for the kdump SSH target, meaning host authenticity is not verified
Environment is affected if kexec-tools at a vulnerable version is installed AND kdump is configured to transfer crash dumps over SSH with StrictHostKeyChecking disabled or not properly configured with known_hosts entries.
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 dataRe-enable StrictHostKeyChecking=yes in the kdump SSH configuration, or configure proper SSH keys with known_hosts entries to ensure host authenticity before transferring crash dumps.
Fix this in Kexec Tools
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,224.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2011-3588 — 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-2011-3588 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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