CVE-2024-42191
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 · uneditedHCL Traveler for Microsoft Outlook (HTMO) is susceptible to a COM hijacking vulnerability which could allow an attacker to modify or replace the application with malicious content.
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 confidenceHCL Traveler for Microsoft Outlook (HTMO) contains a COM hijacking vulnerability where attackers can manipulate Windows COM registry entries to redirect legitimate application components to malicious code, allowing modification or replacement of the application with malicious content.
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< 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:3.1/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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Check if HCL Traveler for Microsoft Outlook is installedOpen Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, or run 'Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | Where-Object {$_.DisplayName -like "*HCL Traveler*"}' in PowerShell to find HTMO installation entriesAffected if HTMO is listed in installed programs or registry with a version below 3.0.12
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Verify HTMO version numberCheck the installed version from Program Files\HCL\Traveler For Microsoft Outlook folder, or use 'Get-ItemProperty' on the installation registry key to read the Version or DisplayVersion valueAffected if Installed version is lower than 3.0.12 or version cannot be determined
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Inspect COM registry keys for HTMO CLSIDsOpen Registry Editor and navigate to HKCR\CLSID\ for entries containing 'HCL' or 'Traveler' in the ProgID, or run 'Get-ChildItem HKCR:\CLSID -Recurse | Where-Object {$_.GetValue('') -like "*HCL*" -or $_.GetValue('') -like "*Traveler*"}' to list HTMO-related COM registrationsAffected if COM entries exist pointing to non-standard or missing DLL paths, or CLSIDs reference unexpected file locations outside the HTMO installation directory
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Check COM DLL hijacking opportunitiesExamine the InprocServer32 entries under HTMO CLSIDs in HKCR\CLSID\{CLSID}\InprocServer32 to verify DLL paths are legitimate, looking for DLLs loaded from user-writable directories or unexpected pathsAffected if Any InprocServer32 DLL path is located outside the official HTMO Program Files directory or points to a DLL that does not exist
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Review permissions on COM registry keysUse 'Get-Acl HKCR:\CLSID\* -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Where-Object {$_.AccessToString -like "*Users*" -and $_.AccessToString -like "*Write*"}' to identify CLSID keys with weak permissions, or manually check registry key permissions via regeditAffected if Non-administrator users have Write or FullControl permissions on HTMO-related COM registry keys, allowing potential modification
A user is affected if HCL Traveler for Microsoft Outlook is installed with a version below 3.0.12 and any COM registry entries show unexpected DLL paths or overly permissive access controls.
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.
dbcve · scoped3.0.12
Apply the vendor-supplied patch from HCL when available; in the interim, restrict write access to COM-related registry keys and monitor for unauthorized modifications to HTMO application components.
3.0.12
- Check the current installed version of HCL Traveler for Microsoft Outlook (HTMO) by opening the application and navigating to Help > About, or checking in Windows Programs and Features
- Access the HCL Software support portal at support.hcl-software.com and navigate to the HCL Traveler for Microsoft Outlook downloads section
- Download HCL Traveler for Microsoft Outlook version 3.0.12 or later
- Before upgrading, backup the existing HTMO configuration, data files, and any custom settings
- Close HCL Traveler for Microsoft Outlook and any related services
- Run the downloaded installer for version 3.0.12 or later as an administrator
- Follow the on-screen installation prompts to complete the upgrade
- After installation, verify the new version by checking Help > About in the application
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-42191 — 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-2024-42191 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data