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Emc NetworkerApplication · Dell

CVE-2017-8023

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2019-04-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 8.2.4.11 / 9.1.1.5 or later.
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
EMC NetWorker may potentially be vulnerable to an unauthenticated remote code execution vulnerability in the Networker Client execution service (nsrexecd) when oldauth authentication method is used. An unauthenticated remote attacker could send arbitrary commands via RPC service to be executed on the host system with the privileges of the nsrexecd service, which runs with administrative privileges.

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

EMC NetWorker nsrexecd service uses an insecure 'oldauth' authentication method that allows unauthenticated attackers to send arbitrary commands via RPC. The service runs with administrative privileges, enabling complete host compromise without any credentials.

MitigationDisable the oldauth authentication method in NetWorker configuration and ensure nsrexecd does not run with administrative privileges, or block the RPC service port at the network perimeter.

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
Emc NetworkerApplication
Affected:>= 8.2.0.0, < 8.2.4.11>= 9.0.0.0, <= 9.0.1.9>= 9.1.0.0, < 9.1.1.5>= 9.2.0.0, < 9.2.1.0

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 NetWorker version
    Run 'nsr version' from the NetWorker bin directory, or check the installed packages via system package manager, or look in the NetWorker installation directory for a version file
    Affected if the installed version falls within any of these ranges: 8.2.0.0 through 8.2.4.10, 9.0.0.0 through 9.0.1.9, 9.1.0.0 through 9.1.1.4, or 9.2.0.0 through 9.2.0.x
  2. Verify nsrexecd service is running
    Check for the nsrexecd process running on the system using 'ps aux | grep nsrexecd' on Unix/Linux or check the Windows service list for 'NetWorker Remote Execution Service'
    Affected if the nsrexecd service is active and listening on RPC ports (typically port 7937 or dynamic RPC ports)
  3. Confirm oldauth authentication is enabled
    Inspect the NetWorker configuration file (typically nsrla.res or the auth section in NetWorker configuration) for the 'oldauth' or 'authentication' directive, or use the NetWorker admin tool to view authentication methods
    Affected if the 'oldauth' authentication method is explicitly enabled or allowed in the NetWorker configuration

You are affected if you have a vulnerable NetWorker version (8.2.x before 8.2.4.11, 9.0.x through 9.0.1.9, 9.1.x before 9.1.1.5, or 9.2.x before 9.2.1.0) AND the nsrexecd service is running with oldauth authentication enabled.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 8.2.4.11 / 9.1.1.5 / 9.2.1.0 or later
Fixed in 8.2.4.119.1.1.59.2.1.0
Interim mitigation

Disable the oldauth authentication method in NetWorker configuration and ensure nsrexecd does not run with administrative privileges, or block the RPC service port at the network perimeter.

Recommended fix High confidence

8.2.4.11 (8.2.x branch), 9.0.1.10 (9.0.x branch), 9.1.1.5 (9.1.x branch), or 9.2.1.0 (9.2.x branch) depending on your current major version

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed EMC Networker version using 'nsrinfo -v' or checking the installation logs
  2. 2. Determine which version branch your installation belongs to (8.2.x, 9.0.x, 9.1.x, or 9.2.x)
  3. 3. For version 8.2.x: Upgrade to version 8.2.4.11 or later
  4. 4. For version 9.0.x: Upgrade to version 9.0.1.10 or later
  5. 5. For version 9.1.x: Upgrade to version 9.1.1.5 or later
  6. 6. For version 9.2.x: Upgrade to version 9.2.1.0 or later
  7. 7. After upgrade, verify the nsrexecd service is running the patched version by checking 'nsradmin -s server -p nsrexecd'
  8. 8. Consider reviewing and disabling the oldauth authentication method in nsr as a secondary hardening measure
Caveat Major version upgrades may require migration planning; test in non-production environment first; review EMC Networker upgrade documentation for compatibility with other connected components

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Emc Networker Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,280
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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-2017-8023 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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