CVE-2016-0781
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 · uneditedThe UAA OAuth approval pages in Cloud Foundry v208 to v231, Login-server v1.6 to v1.14, UAA v2.0.0 to v2.7.4.1, UAA v3.0.0 to v3.2.0, UAA-Release v2 to v7 and Pivotal Elastic Runtime 1.6.x versions prior to 1.6.20 are vulnerable to an XSS attack by specifying malicious java script content in either the OAuth scopes (SCIM groups) or SCIM group descriptions.
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 confidenceCross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Cloud Foundry UAA OAuth approval pages allows attackers to inject malicious JavaScript via OAuth scopes (SCIM groups) or SCIM group descriptions. When users view the OAuth approval page, the unsanitized scope/description content is rendered in the browser, enabling session hijacking or credential theft.
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= 2= 3= 4= 5= 6= 7= 208= 209= 210= 211= 212= 213= 214= 215= 216= 217= 218= 219= 1.6.0= 1.6.1= 1.6.2= 1.6.3= 1.6.4= 1.6.5= 1.6.6= 1.6.7= 1.6.8= 1.6.9= 1.6.10= 1.6.11<= 2.7.4.1= 3.0.0= 3.0.1= 3.1.0= 3.2.0all versionsCVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Check UAA versionQuery the UAA API endpoint /uaa/info or check the deployed UAA version in BOSH manifest. For example: curl -k https://uaa.<your-domain>/uaa/infoAffected if The UAA version is 2.x <= 2.7.4.1, 3.0.0, 3.0.1, 3.1.0, or 3.2.0
-
Check Login Server versionCheck the deployed Login Server version in BOSH manifest or configuration files under /var/vcap/jobs/login-server/config/Affected if Any version of Login Server is deployed (all versions are affected)
-
Check Cloud Foundry Elastic Runtime versionQuery cf curl /v2/info or check the cf deployment manifest. Run: cf curl /v2/infoAffected if Elastic Runtime version is 1.6.0 through 1.6.11, or Cloud Foundry is versions 208-219
-
Verify OAuth approval page renderingCreate a test OAuth client with a scope containing a script tag like <script>alert(1)</script>, then authorize and inspect the OAuth approval page HTML source to see if the scope is rendered unsanitizedAffected if The OAuth approval page displays scope values or SCIM group descriptions as raw HTML without encoding or sanitization
You are affected if your environment runs any combination of UAA <= 2.7.4.1, UAA 3.x <= 3.2.0, Login Server, Cloud Foundry 208-219, or Elastic Runtime 1.6.0-1.6.11, AND your OAuth approval page renders SCIM group names or descriptions without HTML encoding.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataUpgrade UAA, Login-server, and Cloud Foundry to versions beyond the vulnerable ranges (e.g., Pivotal Elastic Runtime 1.6.20+, UAA v3.2.1+). Alternatively, sanitize OAuth scope and SCIM group description inputs to strip executable script content before display.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,656.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-0781 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-0781 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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