CVE-2017-16590
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 · uneditedThis vulnerability allows remote attackers to bypass authentication on vulnerable installations of NetGain Systems Enterprise Manager 7.2.699 build 1001. User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability. The specific flaw exists within the MainFilter servlet. The issue results from the lack of proper string matching inside the doFilter method. An attacker can leverage this in conjunction with other vulnerabilities to execute arbitrary code in the context of Administrator. Was ZDI-CAN-5099.
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 confidenceThis is an authentication bypass vulnerability in NetGain Systems Enterprise Manager 7.2.699 build 1001. The flaw exists in the MainFilter servlet's doFilter method due to improper string matching, allowing remote attackers to bypass authentication with user interaction. The vulnerability can be chained with other issues to achieve arbitrary code execution in the Administrator context.
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= 7.2.699CVSS 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
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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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Identify NetGain Enterprise Manager versionLocate the installed version of NetGain Systems Enterprise Manager by checking the application documentation, installation directory, or banner/version information displayed in the web interface. Common locations include the login page source, about page, or server configuration files.Affected if The installed version matches exactly 7.2.699 (build 1001)
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Confirm MainFilter servlet presenceInspect the web application's deployment descriptor (web.xml) or examine the compiled classes to verify the MainFilter servlet is deployed. This servlet handles authentication filtering for the application.Affected if The MainFilter servlet is present and active in the web application configuration
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Verify authentication bypass conditionTest the authentication mechanism by attempting to access protected endpoints with manipulated request headers or parameters that could exploit improper string matching in the MainFilter's doFilter method. Review application logs for successful unauthenticated access attempts.Affected if Requests can reach protected resources without valid authentication credentials due to string matching flaws
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Assess network exposureDetermine if the Enterprise Manager web interface is accessible from untrusted network segments. Check firewall rules, network ACLs, and listening service binding addresses.Affected if The application is exposed to untrusted network sources without proper access controls
You are affected if NetGain Systems Enterprise Manager version 7.2.699 is running and the MainFilter servlet is accessible to untrusted network actors, allowing authentication bypass.
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 NetGain Systems Enterprise Manager. Until patched, restrict network access to the Enterprise Manager interface to trusted sources only.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-16590 — 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-2017-16590 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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