CVE-2016-8913
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 · uneditedIBM Kenexa LMS on Cloud 13.1 and 13.2 - 13.2.4 could allow a remote attacker to traverse directories on the system. An attacker could send a specially-crafted URL request containing "dot dot" sequences (/../) to view arbitrary files on the system.
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 · moderate confidenceIBM Kenexa LMS on Cloud versions 13.1 through 13.2.4 contains a path traversal vulnerability that allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files on the system by submitting specially-crafted URL requests containing 'dot dot' sequences (/../). The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation on URL parameters.
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= 13.1= 13.2= 13.2.2= 13.2.3= 13.2.4CVSS 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 the installed IBM Kenexa LMS versionAccess the IBM Kenexa LMS admin console or check the product documentation for the version number. Typically found in the About or System Information section of the management interface.Affected if The installed version is 13.1, 13.2, 13.2.2, 13.2.3, or 13.2.4
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Confirm the web application is exposedDetermine if the IBM Kenexa LMS web interface is accessible over HTTP/HTTPS from external or untrusted networks.Affected if The application is reachable via web and accepts incoming HTTP/HTTPS requests
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Test for path traversal vulnerabilitySubmit a test request containing /../ sequences to accessible URL endpoints, for example: /.. /.. /etc/passwd or similar patterns. Observe if the server returns file contents outside the intended web root directory.Affected if The application returns arbitrary system files or allows traversal beyond the web root directory using dot-dot sequences in URL parameters
A user is affected if IBM Kenexa LMS on Cloud version 13.1 through 13.2.4 is installed and the web interface is accessible, with no input validation filtering out directory traversal sequences in URLs.
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-provided patches for IBM Kenexa LMS on Cloud 13.2.4 and later versions. As an interim control, implement URL input validation to reject requests containing directory traversal sequences.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-8913 — 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-2016-8913 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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