Netvault BackupApplication · Quest

CVE-2017-17414

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-02-08
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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
This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable installations of Quest NetVault Backup 11.3.0.12. Authentication is not required to exploit this vulnerability. The specific flaw exists within the handling of NVBUPhaseStatus Get method requests. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of a user-supplied string before using it to construct SQL queries. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the underlying database. Was ZDI-CAN-4225.

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

A pre-authentication SQL injection vulnerability in Quest NetVault Backup 11.3.0.12 allows remote unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code via the NVBUPhaseStatus Get method. The application fails to validate user-supplied input before using it in SQL query construction, enabling attackers to inject malicious SQL statements and execute code in the database context.

MitigationApply vendor patches for Quest NetVault Backup immediately. If no patch is available, restrict network access to the NetVault Backup service and implement WAF rules to detect and block SQL injection attempts as a temporary compensating control.

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
Netvault BackupApplication
Affected:= 11.3.0.12

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

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 NetVault Backup installation
    Locate the NetVault Backup installation directory and check for the version file, typically found in the installation root folder or check the Windows registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Quest\NetVault Backup\CurrentVersion for the Version value
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 11.3.0.12
  2. Verify web service is running
    Check if the NetVault Backup web service (usually on port 8443 or 20031) is running and accessible by accessing the web interface URL (e.g., https://hostname:8443)
    Affected if The web interface is accessible without authentication and the service is running
  3. Confirm NVBUPhaseStatus endpoint exposure
    Attempt to access the vulnerable endpoint by sending a GET request to the NVBUPhaseStatus method (typically at /cgi-bin/nvbuwebservices.exe) with a test parameter
    Affected if The endpoint responds and accepts parameters without requiring authentication
  4. Check for signs of compromise
    Review NetVault Backup database logs and web server logs for suspicious SQL syntax, unusual database queries, or evidence of unauthorized access patterns
    Affected if Log analysis reveals SQL injection patterns or unexpected database queries from external IP addresses

The environment is affected if Quest NetVault Backup version 11.3.0.12 is installed and the web service is exposed, making the pre-authentication SQL injection in the NVBUPhaseStatus method exploitable.

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 patches for Quest NetVault Backup immediately. If no patch is available, restrict network access to the NetVault Backup service and implement WAF rules to detect and block SQL injection attempts as a temporary compensating control.

Fix this in Netvault Backup Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
44.0 hours of engineering $7,720
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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-2017-17414 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