CVE-2017-5877 in dotCMS
Summary
by MITRE
XSS was discovered in dotCMS 3.7.0, with an unauthenticated attack against the /about-us/locations/index direction parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/11/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-5877 represents a cross-site scripting flaw within the dotCMS content management system version 3.7.0. This security weakness specifically manifests in the application's handling of the index parameter within the /about-us/locations/ URL path, creating an exploitable vector for malicious actors to inject harmful scripts into web pages viewed by other users. The vulnerability affects the web application's input validation mechanisms, failing to properly sanitize user-supplied data before incorporating it into dynamic web content.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through an unauthenticated attack vector, meaning that an attacker does not require valid credentials to initiate the malicious payload. When a user navigates to the affected URL with a specially crafted index parameter, the dotCMS application fails to adequately filter or escape the input data, allowing malicious JavaScript code to be executed within the victim's browser context. This flaw directly corresponds to CWE-79, which categorizes cross-site scripting vulnerabilities as a result of insufficient input validation and output encoding. The vulnerability demonstrates a classic case of improper data sanitization where user-controllable parameters are directly embedded into web responses without appropriate security measures.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-5877 extends beyond simple script execution, as it provides attackers with the capability to perform various malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, and redirection to malicious sites. An attacker could potentially use this vulnerability to steal user sessions, modify content displayed on the website, or redirect victims to phishing sites that mimic legitimate services. The unauthenticated nature of the attack means that any visitor to the affected website could be compromised, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous for public-facing web applications. This type of vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566, which covers social engineering through malicious web content delivery.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate implementation of proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the dotCMS application. The recommended approach involves sanitizing all user-supplied parameters through strict validation and escaping techniques before incorporating them into web responses. Organizations should also implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to limit the sources from which scripts can be executed, providing an additional layer of protection. The most effective long-term solution requires upgrading to a patched version of dotCMS where the vulnerability has been addressed through proper input sanitization and parameter handling. Security teams should also conduct regular penetration testing and code reviews to identify similar input validation flaws in other application components, as this vulnerability demonstrates the importance of comprehensive security testing across all user-controllable input points within web applications.