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TYPO3CMS

CVE-2012-1608

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-09-04
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
59/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
The t3lib_div::RemoveXSS API method in TYPO3 4.4.0 through 4.4.13, 4.5.0 through 4.5.13, 4.6.0 through 4.6.6, 4.7, and 6.0 allows remote attackers to bypass the cross-site scripting (XSS) protection mechanism and inject arbitrary web script or HTML via non printable characters.

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 confidence

The t3lib_div::RemoveXSS method in TYPO3 versions 4.4.x through 6.0 contains a bypass vulnerability where non-printable characters can be used to circumvent the XSS filtering, allowing injection of arbitrary web scripts or HTML into web pages.

MitigationUpdate to TYPO3 versions 4.4.14, 4.5.14, 4.6.7, 4.7.1, and 6.0.1 or later which contain the patched RemoveXSS function, or implement additional input validation layers.

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
TYPO3CMS
Affected:= 4.4.0= 4.4.1= 4.4.2= 4.4.3= 4.4.4= 4.4.5= 4.4.6= 4.4.7= 4.4.8= 4.4.9= 4.4.10= 4.4.11

CVSS 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
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
Partial
Availability
None

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N

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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed TYPO3 version
    Check the VERSION and SUBVERSION constants in typo3/sysext/core/Classes/Utility/GeneralUtility.php or the install tool system information. Run: grep -r 'TYPO3_VERSION' typo3/ or check the About module in the backend.
    Affected if The installed version falls within 4.4.0 through 4.4.11, or any 4.5.x below 4.5.14, 4.6.x below 4.6.7, 4.7.x below 4.7.1, or 6.0.x below 6.0.1.
  2. Locate the t3lib_div class file
    Find the RemoveXSS method in typo3/sysext/core/Classes/Utility/GeneralUtility.php (in 6.0+) or typo3/sysext/core/class.t3lib_div.php (in 4.4.x-4.7.x). Run: find typo3 -name 'class.t3lib_div.php' -o -name 'GeneralUtility.php' 2>/dev/null | head -5
    Affected if The file exists and contains a RemoveXSS method.
  3. Inspect the RemoveXSS filtering logic
    Open the located file and examine the RemoveXSS function. Look for the regex pattern that handles character stripping. Check whether the function includes a check for non-printable ASCII characters (typically characters 0x00-0x1F except 0x09, 0x0A, 0x0D).
    Affected if The RemoveXSS function lacks explicit filtering for non-printable characters (ASCII 0x00-0x1F), making it vulnerable to bypass.
  4. Determine if RemoveXSS is actively used
    Search for calls to RemoveXSS in the codebase: grep -rn 'RemoveXSS' typo3/ --include='*.php' | grep -v '^Binary' | head -20. Also check if it is called from form rendering or output generation contexts.
    Affected if RemoveXSS is called in any user-controlled input rendering path (e.g., form labels, error messages, content preview).

You are affected if your TYPO3 version is between 4.4.0 and 4.4.11 (or other vulnerable minor versions) AND the RemoveXSS method lacks filtering for non-printable characters AND that method processes user-supplied input.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update to TYPO3 versions 4.4.14, 4.5.14, 4.6.7, 4.7.1, and 6.0.1 or later which contain the patched RemoveXSS function, or implement additional input validation layers.

Fix this in TYPO3 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,560
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2012-1608 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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