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Avamar ServerApplication · Emc

CVE-2017-15550

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-01-05
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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
An issue was discovered in EMC Avamar Server 7.1.x, 7.2.x, 7.3.x, 7.4.x, 7.5.0; EMC NetWorker Virtual Edition (NVE) 9.0.x, 9.1.x, 9.2.x; and EMC Integrated Data Protection Appliance 2.0. A remote authenticated malicious user with low privileges could access arbitrary files on the server file system in the context of the running vulnerable application via Path traversal.

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

Path traversal vulnerability in EMC Avamar Server, NetWorker Virtual Edition, and Integrated Data Protection Appliance allows authenticated low-privilege users to access arbitrary files on the server filesystem via specially crafted path sequences in HTTP requests, executing in the context of the vulnerable application process.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied patches for the affected product versions. If patches are unavailable, implement strict input validation and access controls on the web application layer to prevent directory traversal sequences.

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
Avamar ServerApplication
Affected:= 7.1-21= 7.1-145= 7.1-302= 7.1-370= 7.2-32= 7.2-309= 7.2-401= 7.3-125= 7.3-211= 7.3-226= 7.3-233= 7.4-58
Integrated Data Protection ApplianceApplication
Affected:= 2.0
NetworkerApplication
Affected:= 9.0= 9.1= 9.2

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

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the installed EMC product
    Determine whether the system runs EMC Avamar Server, EMC NetWorker (Virtual Edition), or EMC Integrated Data Protection Appliance. Check installed software listings, product documentation, or system banners.
    Affected if The product is one of Avamar Server, NetWorker, or Integrated Data Protection Appliance.
  2. Check the installed version against affected releases
    Locate the product version through its administrative interface, command line, or version file. Compare the exact version to the affected list: Avamar 7.1-21, 7.1-145, 7.1-302, 7.1-370, 7.2-32, 7.2-309, 7.2-401, 7.3-125, 7.3-211, 7.3-226, 7.3-233, 7.4-58; IDPA 2.0; NetWorker 9.0, 9.1, 9.2.
    Affected if The installed version exactly matches any version listed in the affected products.
  3. Verify the web application component is enabled
    Confirm whether the EMC product web management interface or REST API is active and accessible. This vulnerability is exploited via HTTP requests to the web application.
    Affected if The web interface or API is exposed and operational.
  4. Inspect HTTP access logs for path traversal patterns
    Review web server access logs (typically found in the product logs directory) for requests containing patterns such as ../, ..\, or absolute paths like /etc/passwd in the URL parameters.
    Affected if Log entries show directory traversal sequences in HTTP requests from any user account.
  5. Check for unauthorized file access via web application logs
    Search application and web server logs for successful requests to sensitive system files (e.g., /etc/shadow, Windows system files) that would indicate successful exploitation.
    Affected if Logs contain evidence of arbitrary file retrieval through the web interface.

The environment is affected if any of the listed product versions are installed AND the web management interface is enabled, allowing authenticated users to submit crafted HTTP requests with traversal sequences.

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 vendor-supplied patches for the affected product versions. If patches are unavailable, implement strict input validation and access controls on the web application layer to prevent directory traversal sequences.

Fix this in Avamar Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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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-2017-15550 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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