CVE-2017-17482
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 · uneditedAn issue was discovered in OpenVMS through V8.4-2L2 on Alpha and through V8.4-2L1 on IA64, and VAX/VMS 4.0 and later. A malformed DCL command table may result in a buffer overflow allowing a local privilege escalation when a non-privileged account enters a crafted command line. This bug is exploitable on VAX and Alpha and may cause a process crash on IA64. Software was affected regardless of whether it was directly shipped by VMS Software, Inc. (VSI), HPE, HP, Compaq, or Digital Equipment Corporation.
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 · moderate confidenceA buffer overflow vulnerability in OpenVMS DCL command table parsing allows local privilege escalation. When a non-privileged user enters a crafted command line, a malformed DCL command table triggers a buffer overflow that can be exploited to gain elevated privileges. The vulnerability affects VAX, Alpha, and causes crashes on IA64 platforms.
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<= 8.4-2l1>= 4.0CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify OpenVMS versionRun 'SHOW SYSTEM' or check system documentation to determine the installed OpenVMS version numberAffected if The version is greater than or equal to 4.0 and less than or equal to 8.4-2l1
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Confirm non-privileged user accounts existUse 'SHOW USER /ALL' or review system user databases to enumerate user accountsAffected if Non-privileged user accounts exist on the system who could potentially trigger the vulnerability
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Check for custom or third-party DCL command tablesSearch command table definition files (typically in system directories) for any non-standard or custom command tables loaded via logical names or startup proceduresAffected if Custom or third-party DCL command tables are loaded on the system
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Verify command table access controlsReview file permissions on DCL command table files and associated logical names to determine if unprivileged users can modify or replace themAffected if Non-privileged users have write or modify access to command table configurations
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Determine privilege assignment for standard usersUse 'SHOW PROCESS/PRIVILEGES' for sample user processes to verify standard user privilege levelsAffected if Standard user processes lack elevated privileges but can execute DCL commands
A system is affected if it runs OpenVMS version 4.0 through 8.4-2l1 and contains non-privileged user accounts that could potentially load or trigger a malformed DCL command table to exploit the buffer overflow for privilege escalation.
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 dataRestrict access to command table modifications and avoid loading untrusted or third-party DCL command tables until an official patch is available from VSI.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA8.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $12,352.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-17482 — 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-2017-17482 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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