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Groupwise MessengerApplication · Novell

CVE-2013-1085

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2013-03-29
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2.2.1 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
Stack-based buffer overflow in the nim: protocol handler in Novell GroupWise Messenger 2.04 and earlier, and Novell Messenger 2.1.x and 2.2.x before 2.2.2, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via an import command containing a long string in the filename parameter.

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

Stack-based buffer overflow in the nim: protocol handler of Novell GroupWise Messenger and Novell Messenger allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by sending an import command with an excessively long string in the filename parameter.

MitigationUpgrade Novell Messenger to version 2.2.2 or later, and GroupWise Messenger to a version newer than 2.04. Consider blocking or disabling the nim: protocol handler if upgrades are not immediately feasible.

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
Groupwise MessengerApplication
Affected:<= 2.0.4= 1.0.6= 2.0= 2.0.2
MessengerApplication
Affected:<= 2.1<= 2.2.1= 2.2.0

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
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

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 if Novell Messenger or GroupWise Messenger is installed
    Look for the product in the system program list, or search for executable files such as 'nwmessenger.exe', 'grpwise.exe', or 'messenger.exe' in common installation directories like /opt/novell or C:\Program Files\Novell
    Affected if Either Novell GroupWise Messenger or Novell Messenger is found on the system
  2. Determine the installed version of the Messenger product
    Right-click the executable (nwmessenger.exe or grpwise.exe), select Properties, and check the Details tab for the version number; alternatively, run the executable with a version flag if available
    Affected if The version matches any of these: GroupWise Messenger versions 1.0.6, 2.0, 2.0.2, or 2.0.4 or lower; Novell Messenger versions 2.0, 2.1 or lower, or 2.2.0 through 2.2.1 or lower
  3. Verify the nim: protocol handler is registered
    On Windows, check the Windows Registry under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\nim\ for a key with a shell\open\command subkey; on Linux, check ~/.local/share/applications/ or /usr/share/applications/ for a .desktop file with 'nim:' as the protocol handler
    Affected if The nim: protocol handler is present and registered on the system
  4. Confirm the import command functionality is accessible
    Attempt to access the import command feature within the Messenger client interface, or check configuration files in the Messenger data directory for import-related settings
    Affected if The import command feature with filename parameter support is available in the installed version

A user is affected if they have Novell Messenger or GroupWise Messenger installed with a version matching the affected ranges AND the nim: protocol handler is registered and functional on their system.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 2.2.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Novell Messenger to version 2.2.2 or later, and GroupWise Messenger to a version newer than 2.04. Consider blocking or disabling the nim: protocol handler if upgrades are not immediately feasible.

Recommended fix High confidence

Novell Messenger: 2.2.2 or later; GroupWise Messenger: any version after 2.0.4

  1. 1. Identify the current installed version of Novell GroupWise Messenger or Novell Messenger by checking the application's About or version information.
  2. 2. For Novell Messenger users: Upgrade to version 2.2.2 or later, which contains the fix for this vulnerability.
  3. 3. For Novell GroupWise Messenger users: Upgrade to a version newer than 2.0.4 (the description indicates versions after 2.0.4 contain the fix).
  4. 4. After upgrading, verify the nim: protocol handler is functioning correctly with the updated version.
  5. 5. Test the import command functionality to ensure the buffer overflow fix does not impact normal operations.
Caveat This is a patch release upgrade; no major breaking changes are expected. However, as this is legacy Novell software, ensure compatibility with your existing infrastructure before upgrading.

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Groupwise Messenger Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
Get the upgrade done

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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-2013-1085 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