CVE-2016-6904
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 · uneditedVersions of VASA Provider for Clustered Data ONTAP prior to 7.0P1 contain a web server that accepts plain text authentication. This could allow an unauthenticated attacker to obtain authentication credentials.
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 confidenceVASA Provider for Clustered Data ONTAP versions prior to 7.0P1 contains an embedded web server that transmits authentication credentials in plain text (unencrypted HTTP), allowing unauthenticated attackers on the network to intercept user credentials via man-in-the-middle or packet capture.
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<= 7.0CVSS 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
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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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Check if Vasa Provider is installedOn the NetApp storage system, run 'vapi' or check the installed VASA Provider package. Look for VASA Provider service using 'system node run -node <node> -command vasa' or check the ONTAP Web interface for VASA Provider registration status.Affected if Vasa Provider is not installed on the system, this CVE does not apply.
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Determine the Vasa Provider versionRun 'vasa -version' or access the VASA Provider management interface and navigate to About/Version information. Alternatively, check the installed package version via ONTAP CLI using 'system node run -node <node> -command vasa provider show'.Affected if The installed version is 7.0 or earlier (any version <= 7.0).
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Verify if HTTP (unencrypted) is enabled for the VASA web serverCheck the VASA Provider configuration via the VASA Provider GUI under Server Settings or Network Settings. Look for the protocol setting (HTTP vs HTTPS). From the storage system CLI, run 'vasa provider show -instance' to see protocol configuration.Affected if HTTP protocol is enabled or HTTPS is not explicitly configured as the only allowed authentication method.
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Inspect network traffic configurationReview the VASA Provider web server configuration file or settings to confirm whether HTTPS/TLS is enforced for all authentication endpoints. Check if port 8080 (HTTP) is open versus port 8443 (HTTPS).Affected if Port 8080 (HTTP) is accessible or the authentication endpoint responds over unencrypted HTTP.
A system is affected if VASA Provider version 7.0 or earlier is installed AND HTTP (unencrypted) is enabled or HTTPS is not enforced for authentication flows.
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 dataUpgrade VASA Provider to version 7.0P1 or later, which addresses the plain text authentication issue. Alternatively, ensure the web server is configured to use HTTPS/TLS exclusively for all authentication flows.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 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-2016-6904 — 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-2016-6904 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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