How severe is CVE-2011-5098?

CVE-2011-5098 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 6.5, rated medium severity.

Is CVE-2011-5098 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (74th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2011-5098?

CVE-2011-5098 primarily affects Opscode Chef. In total, 34 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2011-5098?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2011-5098 published?

CVE-2011-5098 was published on 2012-08-08 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

CVE-2011-5098

CVE-2011-5098 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Opscode Chef with a CVSS 2.0 base score of 6.5. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-264.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 2.0 base score 6.5)
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (74th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-264
Affected product: Opscode Chef
Published: 2012-08-08
Last modified: 2026-06-16

Description

chef-server-api/app/controllers/clients.rb in Chef Server in Chef before 0.9.20, and 0.10.x before 0.10.6, does not require administrative privileges for creating admin clients, which allows remote authenticated users to bypass intended access restrictions by leveraging read permission for the validation key and executing a knife client create command with the --admin option.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2011-5098?: chef-server-api/app/controllers/clients.rb in Chef Server in Chef before 0.9.20, and 0.10.x before 0.10.6, does not require administrative privileges for creating admin clients, which allows remote authenticated users to bypass intended access restrictions by leveraging read permission for the validation key and executing a knife client create command with the --admin option.
How severe is CVE-2011-5098?: CVE-2011-5098 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 6.5, rated medium severity.
Is CVE-2011-5098 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (74th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2011-5098?: CVE-2011-5098 primarily affects Opscode Chef. In total, 34 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2011-5098?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2011-5098 published?: CVE-2011-5098 was published on 2012-08-08 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

References

Affected products (34)

cpe:2.3:a:opscode:chef:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:opscode:chef:0.5.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:opscode:chef:0.5.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:opscode:chef:0.5.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:opscode:chef:0.5.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:opscode:chef:0.6.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:opscode:chef:0.6.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:opscode:chef:0.7.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:opscode:chef:0.7.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:opscode:chef:0.7.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:opscode:chef:0.7.8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:opscode:chef:0.7.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:opscode:chef:0.7.12:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:opscode:chef:0.7.14:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:opscode:chef:0.8.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:opscode:chef:0.8.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:opscode:chef:0.8.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:opscode:chef:0.8.8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:opscode:chef:0.8.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:opscode:chef:0.8.12:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:opscode:chef:0.8.14:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:opscode:chef:0.8.16:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:opscode:chef:0.9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:opscode:chef:0.9.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:opscode:chef:0.9.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:opscode:chef:0.9.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:opscode:chef:0.9.8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:opscode:chef:0.9.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:opscode:chef:0.9.12:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:opscode:chef:0.9.14:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:opscode:chef:0.9.16:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:opscode:chef:0.10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:opscode:chef:0.10.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:opscode:chef:0.10.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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