CVE-2017-11511
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 · uneditedThe ManageEngine ServiceDesk 9.3.9328 is vulnerable to arbitrary file downloads due to improper restrictions of the pathname used in the filepath parameter for the download-file URL. An unauthenticated remote attacker can use this vulnerability to download arbitrary files.
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 confidenceManageEngine ServiceDesk version 9.3.9328 contains a path traversal vulnerability in the download-file functionality. The application fails to properly validate the filepath parameter, allowing an unauthenticated attacker to use directory traversal sequences (e.g., ../../) to download arbitrary files from the server file system.
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= 9.3.9328CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify ServiceDesk versionAccess the ServiceDesk web interface and navigate to the About or Administrator section to view the installed version, or check the installation directory for version manifest files.Affected if The installed version is exactly 9.3.9328
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Confirm download-file endpoint existsInspect the application's web accessible paths for a download-file endpoint that accepts a filepath parameter. This is typically found in request logs or by reviewing the application's URL structure.Affected if The download-file endpoint accepting a filepath parameter is accessible and operational
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Check network exposureDetermine if the ServiceDesk web interface is exposed to untrusted networks or the internet by reviewing firewall rules, load balancer configurations, or network access control lists.Affected if The ServiceDesk application is reachable from untrusted networks without proper access controls
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Review recent access logsExamine web server access logs for requests to the download-file endpoint containing directory traversal patterns such as ../ sequences.Affected if Log analysis reveals unauthenticated requests with directory traversal patterns to the download functionality
A user is affected if they are running exactly version 9.3.9328 of ManageEngine ServiceDesk and the download-file endpoint is accessible over the network, as this allows unauthenticated path traversal attacks.
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 the vendor-supplied patch or update to a patched version of ManageEngine ServiceDesk that addresses the path traversal vulnerability in the download-file endpoint. Restrict network access to the ServiceDesk application until the patch is applied.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-11511 — 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-2017-11511 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
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