CVE-2016-1605
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 · uneditedDirectory traversal vulnerability in the ReportViewServlet servlet in the server in NetIQ Sentinel 7.4.x before 7.4.2 allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files via a PREVIEW value for the fileType field.
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 confidenceDirectory traversal vulnerability in the ReportViewServlet of NetIQ Sentinel 7.4.x allows remote authenticated attackers to read arbitrary files on the server by supplying a PREVIEW value for the fileType parameter, potentially exposing sensitive system files or configuration 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= 7.4= 7.4.1CVSS 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
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify NetIQ Sentinel installed versionCheck the Sentinel installation directory for version information, or query the Sentinel server's about/status page. Common paths include the Sentinel installation directory or check the Sentinel service version through the management console.Affected if Installed version is 7.4 or 7.4.1 (unpatched)
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Verify ReportViewServlet is exposedLocate the ReportViewServlet configuration in the web application deployment descriptor (web.xml) or check if the endpoint is accessible at paths like /sentinel/ReportViewServlet or similar URL patterns under the Sentinel web context.Affected if ReportViewServlet is accessible without additional access controls beyond authentication
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Check for path traversal filtering on fileType parameterInspect the web application's input validation logic or servlet filters that handle the fileType parameter. Review any web.xml configurations or custom filter implementations for the ReportViewServlet.Affected if No filtering exists to reject path traversal sequences (such as ../) in the fileType parameter
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Confirm authentication is the only barrierVerify that the only requirement to access the ReportViewServlet is valid authentication, with no additional role-based or IP-based restrictions enforced at the application or container level.Affected if Any authenticated user can access the ReportViewServlet without further authorization checks on file access requests
A user is affected if they run an unpatched NetIQ Sentinel version 7.4 or 7.4.1 with the ReportViewServlet accessible to authenticated users and without input validation filtering path traversal sequences in the fileType parameter.
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 patch 7.4.2 or later to address this vulnerability. Until patched, restrict network access to the Sentinel server and implement URL/input validation to reject path traversal sequences in the fileType parameter.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-1605 — 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-2016-1605 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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