CVE-2012-0409
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 · uneditedMultiple buffer overflows in EMC AutoStart 5.3.x and 5.4.x before 5.4.3 allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (agent crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via crafted packets.
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 confidenceMultiple buffer overflow vulnerabilities exist in EMC AutoStart versions 5.3.x and 5.4.x before 5.4.3. The flaws are triggered by specially crafted network packets sent to affected agents, leading to memory corruption that can cause denial of service (agent crash) or potentially allow arbitrary code execution by remote attackers.
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= 5.3= 5.4= 5.4.1= 5.4.2CVSS 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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Verify EMC AutoStart is installedCheck for EMC AutoStart software on the system. Look for the installation directory (commonly under C:\Program Files\EMC\AutoStart or similar) or check Add/Remove Programs for an entry named 'EMC AutoStart' or 'AutoStart'.Affected if EMC AutoStart is not found on the system, the system is not affected by this vulnerability.
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Determine the installed versionLocate the EMC AutoStart installation and check for version information. Typical locations include a 'version.txt', 'readme.txt', or the executable properties (right-click the main executable and view Version info). Also check the Windows registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\EMC\AutoStart or similar registry keys.Affected if The installed version is 5.3.x or 5.4.x (including 5.4.1 or 5.4.2). Versions 5.4.3 and later are NOT affected.
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Confirm the AutoStart agent service is runningOpen Windows Services (services.msc) and look for a service named 'AutoStart Agent' or 'EMC AutoStart' or check the task manager for processes related to AutoStart (such as hpsm or similar agent processes).Affected if The AutoStart agent service is not installed or not running, exploitation is not possible.
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Assess network exposure of AutoStart portsCheck which network ports the AutoStart agent is listening on. Use 'netstat -an' or a port scanner to identify ports typically used by EMC AutoStart (commonly ports 2186, 2187, or 7900-7905). Determine if these ports are accessible from untrusted networks.Affected if The AutoStart agent is listening on accessible network ports and the version is 5.3.x or 5.4.x through 5.4.2, the system is vulnerable to remote exploitation.
A system is affected if EMC AutoStart version 5.3.x or 5.4.x through 5.4.2 is installed with the agent service running and exposed to network access.
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 dataUpgrade EMC AutoStart to version 5.4.3 or later to obtain the vendor patch. If immediate upgrade is not feasible, implement network segmentation and firewall rules to restrict unauthorized access to AutoStart ports/services.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 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-2012-0409 — 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-2012-0409 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
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