What is CVE-2011-5239?A medium-severity flaw in Civicrm, explained.
CVE-2011-5239 is a medium-severity flaw (CVSS 5.8) in Civicrm, published on 6 November 2012. It is not on the list of flaws known to be exploited today. The latest forecast puts its chance of use in the next 30 days at 0.5%. If you run an affected version, plan in the vendor’s fix.
Published 6 November 2012. Record last updated 11 April 2025. We keep this page's data up to date.
What is CVE-2011-5239? In plain terms.
It can be attacked from anywhere on the internet without logging in. If it works, the attacker can read some data and change some data.
CiviCRM 4.0.5 and 4.1.1 does not verify that the server hostname matches a domain name in the subject's Common Name (CN) or subjectAltName field of the X.509 certificate, which allows man-in-the-middle attackers to spoof SSL servers via an arbitrary valid certificate.
What kind of flaw is it?
- CWE-20Improper Input Validation
How an attack on it works
Read straight from its severity rating, translated out of the shorthand.
- Where an attacker can beAnywhere on the internet
- How hard it is to pull offSome conditions needed
- Login needed firstNo login needed
- What an attacker getsCan read some data and change some data
Severity vector: AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:N
Is CVE-2011-5239 being exploited? Not that we know of.
It is not on the list of flaws known to be exploited today. The latest forecast puts the chance of it being used in the next 30 days at 0.5%. That can change at any time, which is why we keep watching.
Timeline
- Published
- Record last updated
CVE-2011-5239 scores 19. Action: Track.
We keep the score of every published flaw up to date as the evidence changes. Four things go into the score, and evidence that criminals are actually using it counts most. In order:
- Evidence it is being exploitedBiggest factor
- How severe it isStrong factor
- How widely exposed it isSmaller factor
- Threat activity around itSmaller factor
85 and above is Critical. Anything confirmed as exploited is always marked for an emergency patch, whatever its score.
When CVE-2011-5239 matches software you track, it lands in your list with its score and the reasons behind it.
See your own ranked list →How do I fix CVE-2011-5239? Four steps.
- Check whether you run itCompare your versions with the affected products above. Not sure what you run? Precursor Intelligence can work it out from your public website, or you can pick it from a list.
- Apply the vendor’s fixInstall the latest update from the vendor. The references list where the vendor has published details.
- If you can’t patch todayFollow any mitigation the vendor publishes, and limit who can reach the affected system from the internet until the update is in.
- Keep an eye on itTrack the product and we tell you as soon as we spot this flaw on the list of exploited flaws, or a jump in its exploit likelihood.
References
1 linkDoes CVE-2011-5239 affect you? We'll keep checking.
Looking flaws up one at a time doesn't scale. Tell us what you run once, and we tell you which flaws matter to you, in what order, and keep watching for new ones.
- Tell us what you runPick your software from a list, or let us work it out from your website.
- We match it to every flawOver 400,000 published flaws, checked against your list.
- Ranked by real-world riskA 0 to 100 score, led by evidence criminals are using it.
- Told as soon as we knowAn alert by email, in the app or by webhook to your own tools.
Free plan, no card needed. Nothing to install.
1 new flaw affects software Acme tracks
CiviCRM 4.0.5 and 4.1.1 does not verify that the server hostname matches a domain name in the subject's Common Name (CN) or subjectAltName field of the X.509...
- Matched to
- Civicrm on Acme's software list
- What to do
- Plan in the vendor’s update
Sent to the alert recipients Acme chose. Also in the app and to Acme's webhook.
CVE-2011-5239 is a medium-severity flaw in Civicrm, published on 6 November 2012. It can be attacked from anywhere on the internet without logging in. If it works, the attacker can read some data and change some data.
It scores 5.8 out of 10 on the CVSS severity scale, which is medium. Our risk score for CVE-2011-5239 is 19 out of 100, which is Info. Its action is "Track". No sign of exploitation and a low forecast. Patch it in your normal update cycle.
It is not on the list of flaws known to be exploited today. The latest forecast puts the chance of it being used in the next 30 days at 0.5%. That can change at any time, which is why we keep watching.
For Civicrm: 4.0.5, 4.1.1.
Install the update the vendor names in its advisory. If you can't patch today, follow the vendor's mitigation and limit who can reach the affected system from the internet.