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Netbackup ApplianceApplication · Veritas

CVE-2015-6551

MEDIUM · 5.9 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-05-07
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
68/100
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
Veritas NetBackup 7.x through 7.5.0.7 and 7.6.0.x through 7.6.0.4 and NetBackup Appliance through 2.5.4 and 2.6.0.x through 2.6.0.4 do not use TLS for administration-console traffic to the NBU server, which allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information by sniffing the network for key-exchange 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 confidence

Veritas NetBackup administration console traffic to the NBU server does not use TLS encryption, allowing remote attackers to intercept sensitive information (credentials, administrative commands) via network sniffing of key-exchange packets.

MitigationEnable TLS encryption for NetBackup administration console traffic, or upgrade to a patched version (7.5.0.8+, 7.6.0.5+, or appliance versions 2.5.5+, 2.6.0.5+) that includes mandatory TLS. Network segmentation can serve as a compensating control.

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
Netbackup ApplianceApplication
Affected:= 1.1.0.1= 1.1.0.2= 1.2= 2.0= 2.0.1= 2.0.2= 2.0.3= 2.5= 2.5.1= 2.5.2= 2.5.3= 2.6
NetbackupApplication
Affected:= 7.0= 7.0.1= 7.1.0.1= 7.1.0.2= 7.1.0.3= 7.1.0.4= 7.5.0.1= 7.5.0.3= 7.5.0.4= 7.5.0.5= 7.5.0.6= 7.5.0.7

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
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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. Identify NetBackup product type
    Determine whether the system is running NetBackup Appliance or NetBackup server software. On the appliance, log in to the management interface or run 'nbversion' if available. On the server, run 'bpgetconfig' or check the installation directory for version files.
    Affected if The installed product and version match any of the versions listed in the affected products and versions for CVE-2015-6551 (appliance 1.1.0.1 through 2.6, or NetBackup 7.0 through 7.5.0.7).
  2. Locate the administration console service
    Identify if the NetBackup Administration Console (typically using Java GUI or nbadmin web interface) is configured. Check for listening services on ports commonly used by NetBackup: 1556 (bpcd), 13722, 13724, or 443/80 for web-based consoles. Use 'netstat -an | grep -E "1556|13722|13724"' or similar network scanning from the server.
    Affected if The administration console service is running and listening on network ports, making it reachable for remote connection attempts.
  3. Verify TLS configuration for admin traffic
    Examine the NetBackup configuration for encryption settings. Check the 'bprd.conf' or 'bp.conf' files (typically in /usr/openv/netbackup on Unix or C:\Program Files\VERITAS\NetBackup\ on Windows) for ENCRYPTION and USE_TLS directives. On the appliance, access the security settings via the management GUI or CLI.
    Affected if The configuration does not enforce TLS encryption for administrative sessions, or USE_TLS is set to disabled or not configured at all for the administration console traffic.
  4. Capture test traffic to confirm encryption status
    Use a packet capture tool (such as tcpdump or Wireshark) on the network interface servicing the admin console traffic while performing administrative actions (like logging in). Examine the captured packets for plain-text credentials or unencrypted command traffic.
    Affected if Network packets show plaintext credentials, administrative commands, or session data without TLS/SSL wrapping (no port 443 or STARTTLS indicators, and no encryption in the payload).

A system is affected if it runs any of the listed vulnerable versions AND the administration console is network-accessible AND TLS encryption is not enforced for admin traffic.

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

Enable TLS encryption for NetBackup administration console traffic, or upgrade to a patched version (7.5.0.8+, 7.6.0.5+, or appliance versions 2.5.5+, 2.6.0.5+) that includes mandatory TLS. Network segmentation can serve as a compensating control.

Fix this in Netbackup Appliance Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2015-6551 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
  • 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