CVE-2012-4491
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 Monthly Archive by Node Type module 6.x for Drupal does not properly check permissions defined by node_access modules, which allows remote attackers to access restricted nodes via unspecified 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 · moderate confidenceThe Monthly Archive by Node Type Drupal 6.x module fails to enforce proper node access permissions when displaying archived content, allowing unauthorized users to access nodes that should be restricted by Drupal's node_access system.
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.x-1.0= 6.x-2.0= 6.x-3.0CVSS 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
- None
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/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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Verify Monthly Archive By Node Type module is installedCheck the Drupal modules directory for the presence of the 'monthly_archive' or 'monthly_archive_by_node_type' module folder, or query the Drupal system table: SELECT name, status FROM system WHERE name LIKE '%monthly_archive%';Affected if The module is present in the modules directory or listed in the system table.
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Determine the installed module versionLocate the .info file in the module directory (e.g., monthly_archive.info) and read the 'version' field, or query: SELECT info FROM system WHERE name LIKE '%monthly_archive%';Affected if The version is 6.x-1.0, 6.x-2.0, or 6.x-3.0.
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Confirm the module is enabledQuery the Drupal system table: SELECT status FROM system WHERE name LIKE '%monthly_archive%' AND type = 'module'; or check via Drupal admin UI at admin/build/modulesAffected if The module status is set to 1 (enabled).
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Identify if restricted node content existsReview content types and existing nodes to determine if any content is restricted via Drupal's node access system (e.g., content with access control modules like Content Access, or private content).Affected if Any nodes have restricted access permissions configured.
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Check for unauthorized archive page accessNavigate to the Monthly Archive pages (typically at monthly_archive or archive paths) while logged out or as an unprivileged user to observe if restricted content appears in the archive listings.Affected if Users without proper permissions can view nodes that should be restricted in archive output.
A user is affected if the Monthly Archive By Node Type module versions 6.x-1.0 through 6.x-3.0 are installed, enabled, and the site contains content with restricted node access permissions that could be exposed.
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 dataUninstall or disable the vulnerable module until a patch enforcing proper node_access permission checks is available; alternatively, apply any official security patch from the Drupal module maintainers.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 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 $4,224.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-4491 — 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-2012-4491 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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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.
- 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