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SametimeApplication · Ibm

CVE-2013-3978

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2014-02-14
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
59/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 Meeting Server in IBM Sametime 8.5.2 through 8.5.2.1 and 9.x through 9.0.0.1 does not send the appropriate HTTP response headers to prevent unwanted caching by a web browser, which allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information by leveraging an unattended workstation.

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 IBM Sametime Meeting Server versions 8.5.2-8.5.2.1 and 9.x-9.0.0.1 fails to send proper HTTP security headers (Cache-Control, Pragma, etc.) that prevent browser caching. This allows sensitive meeting content, credentials, or session data to be stored in the browser cache on unattended workstations, where malicious actors with physical or local access can retrieve the cached information.

MitigationConfigure the IBM Sametime Meeting Server to emit HTTP security headers (Cache-Control: no-store, no-cache, must-revalidate; Pragma: no-cache) on all sensitive responses to prevent browser caching of sensitive data.

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
SametimeApplication
Affected:= 8.5.2.0= 8.5.2.1= 9.0.0.0= 9.0.0.1

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
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Partial
Integrity
None
Availability
None

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/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 checks

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

  1. Verify IBM Sametime Meeting Server version
    Locate the installed IBM Sametime Meeting Server version number through the product's about dialog, version file, or administrative console. Common methods include checking the installation directory for version info or running 'about' command in the server administration interface.
    Affected if The installed version matches 8.5.2.0, 8.5.2.1, 9.0.0.0, or 9.0.0.1 exactly.
  2. Capture HTTP response headers from meeting pages
    Use a web browser's developer tools, a proxy such as Burp Suite or OWASP ZAP, or a command-line tool like curl with the -I flag to capture HTTP response headers when accessing the Sametime Meeting Server login or meeting pages.
    Affected if The HTTP responses from the server do not contain 'Cache-Control: no-store, no-cache, must-revalidate' or similar directives.
  3. Check for Pragma header in responses
    Inspect the same HTTP responses captured in the previous step for the presence of the 'Pragma: no-cache' header.
    Affected if The HTTP responses do not include the Pragma header or it is set to a value other than 'no-cache'.
  4. Verify security header configuration in server settings
    Access the IBM Sametime Meeting Server administrative console or configuration files to examine the HTTP security headers settings. Look for settings related to cache control, browser caching, or HTTP headers.
    Affected if The server is not configured to emit Cache-Control and Pragma headers on sensitive responses, or the security header configuration is disabled or missing.

You are affected if your IBM Sametime Meeting Server version is exactly 8.5.2.0, 8.5.2.1, 9.0.0.0, or 9.0.0.1 AND the HTTP responses from the server are missing Cache-Control and Pragma headers that prevent browser caching.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Configure the IBM Sametime Meeting Server to emit HTTP security headers (Cache-Control: no-store, no-cache, must-revalidate; Pragma: no-cache) on all sensitive responses to prevent browser caching of sensitive data.

Fix this in Sametime Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
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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-2013-3978 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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