# CVE-2011-0011: Auth bypass in n/a

> Remote attackers can bypass VNC authentication in QEMU-KVM when the password is cleared, gaining unauthorized access to virtual machine sessions.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.3 (`AV:A/AC:H/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 21 Jun 2012
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-x485-7p7r-jxj7, RHSA-2011:0345

## What is CVE-2011-0011?

CVE-2011-0011 is a medium-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in Qemu Qemu, published on 21 Jun 2012. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

qemu-kvm before 0.11.0 disables VNC authentication when the password is cleared, which allows remote attackers to bypass authentication and establish VNC sessions.

Weakness: CWE-287 (Improper Authentication)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2011-0011?

It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `qemu-img` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::client | All versions | 2:0.12.1.2-2.113.el6_0.8 |
| `qemu-kvm` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::client | All versions | 2:0.12.1.2-2.113.el6_0.8 |
| `qemu-kvm-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::client | All versions | 2:0.12.1.2-2.113.el6_0.8 |
| `qemu-kvm-tools` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::client | All versions | 2:0.12.1.2-2.113.el6_0.8 |
| `qemu-img` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::computenode | All versions | 2:0.12.1.2-2.113.el6_0.8 |
| `qemu-kvm` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::computenode | All versions | 2:0.12.1.2-2.113.el6_0.8 |
| `qemu-kvm-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::computenode | All versions | 2:0.12.1.2-2.113.el6_0.8 |
| `qemu-kvm-tools` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::computenode | All versions | 2:0.12.1.2-2.113.el6_0.8 |
| `qemu-img` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::server | All versions | 2:0.12.1.2-2.113.el6_0.8 |
| `qemu-kvm` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::server | All versions | 2:0.12.1.2-2.113.el6_0.8 |
| `qemu-kvm-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::server | All versions | 2:0.12.1.2-2.113.el6_0.8 |
| `qemu-kvm-tools` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::server | All versions | 2:0.12.1.2-2.113.el6_0.8 |
| `qemu-img` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::workstation | All versions | 2:0.12.1.2-2.113.el6_0.8 |
| `qemu-kvm` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::workstation | All versions | 2:0.12.1.2-2.113.el6_0.8 |
| `qemu-kvm-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::workstation | All versions | 2:0.12.1.2-2.113.el6_0.8 |
| `qemu-kvm-tools` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::workstation | All versions | 2:0.12.1.2-2.113.el6_0.8 |

Products: Qemu Qemu.

## How do I fix CVE-2011-0011?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2011-0011 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2011-0011 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Qemu Qemu

- [CVE-2022-36648](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-36648/): Null dereference in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2015-8556](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-8556/): Race condition in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2009-3616](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2009-3616/): Use after free in n/a (critical 9.9)
- [CVE-2019-12928](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-12928/): Command injection in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2019-12929](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-12929/): Command injection in n/a (critical 9.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2011-0011 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2011-0011 is a medium-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in Qemu Qemu, published on 21 Jun 2012. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2011-0011 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Qemu Qemu. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2011-0011/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2011-0011/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2011-0011
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2011-0011
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2011-0011

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2011-0011/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.