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CobblerApplication · Cobbler Project

CVE-2011-4953

MEDIUM · 6.8 CVSS v2.0 Published 2014-10-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2.2.1 or later.
See remediation →
77/100
Remediation priority · High
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 set_mgmt_parameters function in item.py in cobbler before 2.2.2 allows context-dependent attackers to execute arbitrary code via vectors related to the use of the yaml.load function instead of the yaml.safe_load function, as demonstrated using Puppet.

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 set_mgmt_parameters function in Cobbler's item.py uses yaml.load() instead of yaml.safe_load(), allowing arbitrary Python code execution through malicious YAML payloads injected into management parameters. This is a classic YAML deserialization vulnerability.

MitigationUpgrade to Cobbler 2.2.2 or later which uses yaml.safe_load(). If upgrading is not immediately feasible, audit the codebase for other instances of unsafe yaml.load() calls and ensure management parameters are validated before parsing.

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
CobblerApplication
Affected:<= 2.2.1

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
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Partial
Integrity
Partial
Availability
Partial

AV:N/AC:M/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check installed Cobbler version
    Run 'cobbler --version' or check the RPM/DEB package version
    Affected if Version is 2.2.1 or lower
  2. Locate the vulnerable item.py file
    Find the Cobbler installation path (typically /usr/lib/python*/site-packages/cobbler/) and locate item.py
    Affected if File exists and is from version <= 2.2.1
  3. Verify the vulnerable yaml.load call exists
    Search within item.py for 'yaml.load' inside the set_mgmt_parameters function
    Affected if The code uses yaml.load() instead of yaml.safe_load() in this function
  4. Confirm management parameters feature is in use
    Check Cobbler profiles or systems for configured management parameters (via 'cobbler profile report' or 'cobbler system report')
    Affected if Any profile or system has management parameters defined, enabling the vulnerable code path

A system is affected if running Cobbler version 2.2.1 or lower AND the item.py file contains the unsafe yaml.load() call in set_mgmt_parameters AND management parameters are configured for use.

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.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 2.2.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to Cobbler 2.2.2 or later which uses yaml.safe_load(). If upgrading is not immediately feasible, audit the codebase for other instances of unsafe yaml.load() calls and ensure management parameters are validated before parsing.

Fix this in Cobbler Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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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-2011-4953 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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