Open Enterprise Server 11Application · Novell

CVE-2016-5763

CRITICAL · 9.1 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-11-15
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
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
Vulnerability in Novell Open Enterprise Server (OES2015 SP1 before Scheduled Maintenance Update 10992, OES2015 before Scheduled Maintenance Update 10990, OES11 SP3 before Scheduled Maintenance Update 10991, OES11 SP2 before Scheduled Maintenance Update 10989) might allow authenticated remote attackers to perform unauthorized file access and modification.

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

This is an authenticated remote vulnerability in Novell Open Enterprise Server that allows authenticated attackers to perform unauthorized file access and modification. The vulnerability affects multiple OES versions (OES2015 SP1, OES2015, OES11 SP3, OES11 SP2) prior to their respective Scheduled Maintenance Updates, indicating a flaw in the OES file handling or access control mechanisms.

MitigationApply the appropriate Scheduled Maintenance Update (10992 for OES2015 SP1, 10990 for OES2015, 10991 for OES11 SP3, 10989 for OES11 SP2) to address the vulnerability. Ensure proper authentication controls are in place as an additional layer of defense.

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
Open Enterprise Server 11Application
Affected:all versions
Open Enterprise Server 2015Application
Affected:all versions

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

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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 if Novell OES is installed
    Check for OES installation by examining the system product information: look for /etc/novell-release or /etc/oem.ini, or run 'rpm -qa | grep -i oes' to list installed OES packages
    Affected if No OES packages or files found means the system is not affected
  2. Determine the installed OES version
    Read the OES version from /etc/novell-release or run 'yast2 --version' or check the OES Management console for the exact version number
    Affected if If the version shows OES11 (any build) or OES2015 (any build) without maintenance update, the system may be vulnerable
  3. Check if the Scheduled Maintenance Update has been applied
    Review the OES patch status: run 'zypper list-patches' or check the installed packages for the maintenance update numbers (10989, 10990, 10991, 10992 depending on version)
    Affected if If no maintenance updates are installed or the specific update number for the OES version is missing, the vulnerability is present
  4. Verify the OES file services are enabled
    Check if OES file handling services (like OES NFS, CIFS, or NetStorage) are running: use 'rcnovell-ncs status' or examine /etc/init.d for novell-* services related to file access
    Affected if If file services are enabled on a vulnerable unpatched version, the unauthorized file access is possible

The environment is affected if Novell Open Enterprise Server 11 or 2015 is installed without the corresponding Scheduled Maintenance Update (10989-10992) and file access services are active.

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

Apply the appropriate Scheduled Maintenance Update (10992 for OES2015 SP1, 10990 for OES2015, 10991 for OES11 SP3, 10989 for OES11 SP2) to address the vulnerability. Ensure proper authentication controls are in place as an additional layer of defense.

Fix this in Open Enterprise Server 11 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2016-5763 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