CVE-2017-1491
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 QRadar Network Security 5.4 supports interaction between multiple actors and allows those actors to negotiate which algorithm should be used as a protection mechanism such as encryption or authentication, but it does not select the strongest algorithm that is available to both parties. IBM X-Force ID: 128689.
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 confidenceIBM QRadar Network Security 5.4 contains a vulnerability in its algorithm negotiation process where it fails to select the strongest available cryptographic algorithm (encryption or authentication) when multiple actors negotiate protection mechanisms. This can result in the use of weaker cryptographic algorithms instead of stronger alternatives.
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= 5.4CVSS 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
- 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 QRadar Network Security versionRun 'version' command or check system information to confirm the installed version is exactly 5.4Affected if Installed version is 5.4 exactly
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Identify cryptographic negotiation configurationLocate the configuration files or settings controlling SSL/TLS/IPSec algorithm negotiation for the network protection modulesAffected if Configuration exists and weak algorithms are permitted in negotiation
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Check enabled cipher suites or algorithmsReview the list of enabled encryption and authentication algorithms in the negotiation settingsAffected if Weak or deprecated algorithms (such as MD5, SHA-1, 3DES, or export-grade ciphers) are enabled
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Verify strongest algorithm enforcementInspect whether the system is configured to prefer or require the strongest available algorithm during negotiationAffected if The system does not enforce selection of the strongest available algorithm
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Test actual negotiated algorithm in trafficCapture and analyze a negotiation exchange to observe which cryptographic algorithm is actually selected and usedAffected if The negotiated algorithm is weaker than stronger alternatives available on the system
Affected if running version 5.4 AND the cryptographic negotiation configuration allows or results in selection of weaker algorithms instead of enforcing the strongest available option.
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 dataConfigure the system to enforce selection of the strongest available cryptographic algorithms and disable support for weak or deprecated algorithms in all negotiation processes.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-1491 — 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-2017-1491 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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