Sterling Secure ProxyApplication · Ibm

CVE-2024-41784

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-11-15
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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
IBM Sterling Secure Proxy 6.0.0.0, 6.0.0.1, 6.0.0.2, 6.0.0.3, and 6.1.0.0 could allow a remote attacker to traverse directories on the system. An attacker could send a specially crafted URL request containing "dot dot dot" sequences (/.../) to view arbitrary files on the system.

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

IBM Sterling Secure Proxy versions 6.0.0.0 through 6.1.0.0 contains a path traversal vulnerability that allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files on the system by sending specially crafted HTTP requests containing 'dot dot dot' sequences (/.../) in the URL. This could expose sensitive configuration files, credentials, or other system data.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patch or upgrade to a non-vulnerable version of IBM Sterling Secure Proxy. As a compensating control, implement web application firewall rules to detect and block directory traversal patterns in HTTP requests.

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
Sterling Secure ProxyApplication
Affected:= 6.0.0.0= 6.0.1.0= 6.0.2.0= 6.0.3.0= 6.1.0

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
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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 the installed version of IBM Sterling Secure Proxy
    Run the command to display the product version, typically found in the product documentation or by checking the installation directory for a version file. Common methods include examining the about screen, running a version command, or checking the installation properties.
    Affected if The installed version is 6.0.0.0, 6.0.1.0, 6.0.2.0, 6.0.3.0, or 6.1.0.
  2. Determine if the HTTP listener is enabled and accessible
    Check the configuration files or running services to see if the HTTP interface for IBM Sterling Secure Proxy is active and bound to a network interface that could be reached by attackers.
    Affected if The HTTP listener is enabled and exposed to untrusted networks.
  3. Review HTTP access logs for suspicious path traversal patterns
    Examine the HTTP server logs for entries containing sequences such as /.../ or multiple dot segments that may indicate exploitation attempts.
    Affected if The logs show requests with /.../ sequences or similar path traversal patterns directed at sensitive directories.
  4. Verify if the system has been modified through the vulnerability
    Check for any unexpected or unauthorized files in typically restricted directories, or review system integrity tools for signs of unauthorized access occurring around the time the vulnerability became known.
    Affected if There is evidence of unauthorized file access or unexpected changes to system files that coincide with the vulnerability timeframe.

A system is affected if it runs IBM Sterling Secure Proxy versions 6.0.0.0 through 6.1.0.0 with the HTTP interface enabled and accessible.

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 the vendor-supplied patch or upgrade to a non-vulnerable version of IBM Sterling Secure Proxy. As a compensating control, implement web application firewall rules to detect and block directory traversal patterns in HTTP requests.

Fix this in Sterling Secure Proxy 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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Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-41784 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-41784 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