Jboss Enterprise Application PlatformApplication · Redhat
CVE-2011-4608
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 · uneditedmod_cluster in JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 5.1.2 for Red Hat Linux allows worker nodes to register with arbitrary virtual hosts, which allows remote attackers to bypass intended access restrictions and provide malicious content, hijack sessions, and steal credentials by registering from an external vhost that does not enforce security constraints.
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 confidencemod_cluster in JBoss EAP 5.1.2 fails to restrict worker node registration to authorized virtual hosts, allowing remote attackers to register with arbitrary vhosts. This bypasses security constraints, enabling session hijacking, credential theft, and serving malicious content through hijacked worker nodes.
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
Jboss Enterprise Application PlatformApplication
= 5.1.2CVSS 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
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
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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Confirm JBoss EAP versionCheck the installed JBoss EAP version by looking at the version file or startup logs. Common locations: $JBOSS_HOME/bin/run.jar version info, or check for jbossas.jar manifest.Affected if The installed version is JBoss EAP 5.1.2 exactly
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Verify mod_cluster is loadedCheck if the mod_cluster module is loaded by inspecting the JBoss server logs at startup for 'mod_cluster' initialization messages, or check for mod_cluster.sar in the deploy folder.Affected if mod_cluster is deployed and running on the server
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Inspect mod_cluster virtual host configurationExamine the mod_cluster configuration file (typically mod_cluster-jboss-beans.xml or mod_cluster-service.xml in the deploy directory) for any virtual host validation or authorization settings.Affected if No virtual host validation or whitelist is configured for worker node registration
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Check mod_cluster manager listener bindingsReview the mod_cluster listener configuration to see which network addresses or interfaces it binds to, and whether there are access controls restricting which nodes can register.Affected if The mod_cluster manager is accessible without IP-based access restrictions for node registration
A user is affected if they are running JBoss EAP 5.1.2 with mod_cluster enabled and the mod_cluster configuration lacks virtual host validation or IP-based access controls for worker node registration.
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 dataImplement strict virtual host validation in mod_cluster configuration to ensure only authorized worker nodes can register. Enforce security constraints on all virtual hosts and consider network segmentation to limit which nodes can communicate with the mod_cluster manager.
Fix this in Jboss Enterprise Application Platform
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $10,240.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2011-4608 — 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-2011-4608 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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