CVE-2024-5016
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 · uneditedIn WhatsUp Gold versions released before 2023.1.3, Distributed Edition installations can be exploited by using a deserialization tool to achieve a Remote Code Execution as SYSTEM. The vulnerability exists in the main message processing routines NmDistributed.DistributedServiceBehavior.OnMessage for server and NmDistributed.DistributedClient.OnMessage for clients.
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 confidenceA deserialization vulnerability in the OnMessage handlers of NmDistributed components (DistributedServiceBehavior for servers, DistributedClient for clients) in WhatsUp Gold versions before 2023.1.3 allows unauthenticated attackers to achieve remote code execution as SYSTEM via maliciously crafted serialized objects.
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< 23.1.0= 23.1.0CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/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 WhatsUp Gold installationLocate the WhatsUp Gold application installation directory, typically found under Program Files or a custom installation path. Confirm the presence of NmCore.dll or other WhatsUp Gold core binaries.Affected if WhatsUp Gold is installed on the system
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Determine installed WhatsUp Gold versionCheck the version of the installed WhatsUp Gold application. This is usually accessible via the application UI under Help > About, or by examining the version property of the main executable or NmCore.dll file.Affected if The installed version is earlier than 23.1.0, or exactly version 23.1.0
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Verify Distributed Edition is configuredCheck whether WhatsUp Gold Distributed Edition features are enabled. Look for DistributedServiceBehavior service configuration or DistributedClient component settings in the WhatsUp Gold administration interface or configuration files.Affected if Distributed Edition functionality is enabled and configured on the target system
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Identify distributed messaging services and portsReview running services or processes related to WhatsUp Gold distributed communication. Check for services handling NmDistributed communications and associated network listeners on typical messaging ports.Affected if NmDistributed services are running and listening for remote connections
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Assess network exposure of distributed messagingExamine firewall rules and network configuration to determine if the distributed messaging ports are accessible from untrusted networks. Identify any exposed interfaces accepting remote distributed communications.Affected if The distributed messaging services are reachable from network segments other than trusted localhost or internal management networks
A system is affected if it runs WhatsUp Gold version 23.1.0 or any version earlier than 23.1.0 with Distributed Edition features enabled and accessible over the network.
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 · scoped23.1.0
Upgrade WhatsUp Gold to version 2023.1.3 or later. If upgrade is not immediately feasible, disable Distributed Edition functionality and restrict network access to the distributed messaging ports.
WhatsUp Gold 23.1.0 or later
- 1. Verify current WhatsUp Gold version by checking Help > About in the application interface
- 2. If version is below 23.1.0 or exactly 23.1.0, download WhatsUp Gold version 23.1.0 or later from the Progress Customer Portal at www.progress.com
- 3. Review the WhatsUp Gold installation guide for upgrade procedures
- 4. Create a full backup of the WhatsUp Gold database and configuration files before proceeding
- 5. Stop all WhatsUp Gold services before initiating the upgrade
- 6. Run the installer for version 23.1.0 or later, following the on-screen prompts
- 7. After installation completes, start the WhatsUp Gold services
- 8. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the version in Help > About
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-5016 — 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-2024-5016 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