CVE-2014-6184
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 · uneditedStack-based buffer overflow in dsmtca in the client in IBM Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM) 5.4 through 5.4.3.6, 5.5 through 5.5.4.3, 6.1 through 6.1.5.6, 6.2 before 6.2.5.4, and 6.3 before 6.3.2.3 on UNIX, Linux, and OS X allows local users to gain privileges 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 · high confidenceStack-based buffer overflow in the dsmtca client component of IBM Tivoli Storage Manager allows local unprivileged users to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges. The vulnerability affects versions 5.4.x, 5.5.x, 6.1.x, 6.2.x before 6.2.5.4, and 6.3.x before 6.3.2.3 on UNIX, Linux, and OS X platforms.
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>= 5.4.0, <= 5.4.3.6>= 5.5.0, <= 5.5.4.3>= 6.1.0, <= 6.1.5.6>= 6.2.0, <= 6.2.5.3>= 6.3.0, <= 6.3.2.2CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:L/AC:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the installed Tivoli Storage Manager client versionRun 'dsmc -v' or 'dsmc -v' from the command line to display the TSM client version. Alternatively, check the package inventory or installation directory for version information.Affected if The displayed version falls within any of these ranges: 5.4.0 to 5.4.3.6, 5.5.0 to 5.5.4.3, 6.1.0 to 6.1.5.6, 6.2.0 to 6.2.5.3, or 6.3.0 to 6.3.2.2.
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Confirm the operating system platformRun 'uname -s' or 'uname -a' to identify the operating system. This vulnerability affects UNIX, Linux, and OS X platforms only.Affected if The system is running AIX, Solaris, HP-UX, Linux, or macOS.
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Verify if the dsmtca component is in useCheck for the dsmtca process running on the system, or review the TSM client configuration files (dsm.sys, dsm.opt) for any configuration enabling the TSM Tape Collector API (dsmtca) functionality.Affected if The dsmtca component is enabled, configured, or running on the affected version and platform.
The environment is affected if the TSM client version is within the listed vulnerable ranges, the system runs on UNIX/Linux/OS X, and the dsmtca component is present and enabled.
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 dataApply vendor patches: upgrade to TSM 6.2.5.4+, 6.3.2.3+, or a supported later version. For systems that cannot be immediately patched, restrict local user access to the TSM client and monitor for suspicious activity.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-6184 — 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-2014-6184 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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