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Websphere PortalApplication · Ibm

CVE-2016-0243

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-02-29
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

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
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in IBM WebSphere Portal 6.1.0.x through 6.1.0.6 CF27, 6.1.5.x through 6.1.5.3 CF27, 7.x through 7.0.0.2 CF29, 8.0.x before 8.0.0.1 CF20, and 8.5.x before 8.5.0.0 CF09 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a crafted URL, a different vulnerability than CVE-2016-0244.

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

Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in IBM WebSphere Portal allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a crafted URL. The vulnerability affects versions 6.1.0.x through 6.1.0.6 CF27, 6.1.5.x through 6.1.5.3 CF27, 7.x through 7.0.0.2 CF29, 8.0.x before 8.0.0.1 CF20, and 8.5.x before 8.5.0.0 CF09. The CVSS 6.1 indicates network-exploitable XSS requiring user interaction.

MitigationApply the appropriate IBM WebSphere Portal cumulative fix (CF20 for 8.0.x, CF09 for 8.5.x, or later supported versions) to address this vulnerability. As a temporary measure, implement input validation on URLs and consider a web application firewall.

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
Websphere PortalApplication
Affected:= 6.1.0.0= 6.1.0.1= 6.1.0.2= 6.1.0.3= 6.1.0.4= 6.1.0.5= 6.1.0.6= 6.1.5.0= 6.1.5.1= 6.1.5.2= 6.1.5.3= 7.0.0.0

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
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/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 WebSphere Portal version
    Access the WebSphere Portal administration console or check the version file in the Portal server directory. The version is typically displayed on the 'About WebSphere Portal' page in the admin console.
    Affected if The installed version matches 6.1.0.x, 6.1.5.x, 7.x, 8.0.x, or 8.5.x (any minor version within these major.minor branches)
  2. Check cumulative fix level for version 6.1.0.x or 6.1.5.x
    Review the installed cumulative fix (CF) level through the WebSphere Portal update installer or check the CF level documented in your installation records.
    Affected if Version is 6.1.0.0 through 6.1.0.6 with CF level below 27, or version is 6.1.5.0 through 6.1.5.3 with CF level below 27
  3. Check cumulative fix level for version 7.x
    Review the installed cumulative fix (CF) level through the WebSphere Portal update installer or check the CF level documented in your installation records.
    Affected if Version is 7.0.0.0 through 7.0.0.2 with CF level below 29
  4. Check cumulative fix level for version 8.0.x
    Review the installed cumulative fix (CF) level through the WebSphere Portal update installer or check the CF level documented in your installation records.
    Affected if Version is 8.0.0.0 through 8.0.0.1 with CF level below 20, or any 8.0.x version before 8.0.0.1 CF20
  5. Check cumulative fix level for version 8.5.x
    Review the installed cumulative fix (CF) level through the WebSphere Portal update installer or check the CF level documented in your installation records.
    Affected if Version is 8.5.0.0 or any 8.5.x version before 8.5.0.0 CF09

The environment is affected if WebSphere Portal version falls within 6.1.0.x through 6.1.0.6, 6.1.5.x through 6.1.5.3, 7.x through 7.0.0.2, 8.0.x before 8.0.0.1 CF20, or 8.5.x before 8.5.0.0 CF09, and the installed cumulative fix level is below the specified threshold for that version range.

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

Apply the appropriate IBM WebSphere Portal cumulative fix (CF20 for 8.0.x, CF09 for 8.5.x, or later supported versions) to address this vulnerability. As a temporary measure, implement input validation on URLs and consider a web application firewall.

Fix this in Websphere Portal Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing10.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
32.0 hours of engineering $5,580
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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-2016-0243 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