CVE-2017-17421
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 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 NVBUSelectionSet 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-4232.
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 confidenceUnauthenticated SQL injection vulnerability in Quest NetVault Backup 11.3.0.12's NVBUSelectionSet Get method. The application fails to validate user-supplied strings before using them in SQL query construction, allowing attackers to inject malicious SQL and execute arbitrary code in the database 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= 11.3.0.12CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify if Quest NetVault Backup is installedCheck the installed programs list in Windows Control Panel, or look for the NetVault Backup installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\Quest\NetVault Backup or similar). Look for executable files like nvwebsvc.exe or related binaries.Affected if Quest NetVault Backup version 11.3.0.12 is installed and the NVBUSelectionSet web service endpoint is accessible.
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Confirm the exact version numberRight-click the NetVault Backup application in the Windows programs list and select Properties, or check the version reported by the nvadmin.exe or nvwebsvc.exe executable via Properties > Details. Compare against the affected version 11.3.0.12.Affected if The installed version is exactly 11.3.0.12.
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Check if the web service interface is exposedLook for the NVBUSelectionSet web service endpoint. This is typically exposed via the NetVault Backup web-based interface. Check if port 8443 or the web service port is open and responding.Affected if The web service listening for NVBUSelectionSet requests is reachable over the network.
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Identify network exposure of the vulnerable serviceUse netstat or a port scanner to determine if the NetVault Backup web service ports (commonly 8443, 20031) are listening on interfaces accessible from outside localhost. Check firewall rules and binding addresses.Affected if The service is bound to a non-localhost IP address or is accessible from external networks without authentication.
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Inspect access logs for SQL injection attemptsReview NetVault Backup web server access logs (typically in the installation logs directory) for requests to NVBUSelectionSet containing SQL syntax such as UNION, SELECT, OR 1=1, or common SQL injection patterns.Affected if Evidence exists in logs of malicious SQL injection payloads targeting the NVBUSelectionSet Get method.
The environment is affected if Quest NetVault Backup version 11.3.0.12 is installed with its web service interface network-accessible, allowing unauthenticated attackers to send SQL injection payloads to the NVBUSelectionSet endpoint.
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 vendor patch immediately; if unavailable, deploy WAF rules to block SQL injection payloads and restrict network access to the vulnerable service.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA8.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-17421 — 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-2017-17421 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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