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Websphere PortalApplication · Ibm

CVE-2016-2925

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-08-08
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable

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 CF30, 8.0.0.x through 8.0.0.1 CF21, and 8.5.0 before CF10 allows remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a crafted URL.

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 authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a crafted URL parameter. 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 CF30, 8.0.0.x through 8.0.0.1 CF21, and 8.5.0 before CF10.

MitigationApply the appropriate IBM cumulative fix (CF28 or later for 6.1.x, CF31 or later for 7.x, CF22 or later for 8.0.0.x, CF10 or later for 8.5.0) from IBM Fix Central.

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

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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 WebSphere Portal installation
    Check for WebSphere Portal installation directories (typically under /opt/IBM/WebSphere/PortalServer or C:\IBM\WebSphere\PortalServer) or look for running WebSphere Portal processes (e.g., 'WebSphere_Portal' Java processes).
    Affected if WebSphere Portal is not installed - not affected.
  2. Determine the base Portal version
    Check the version file in the PortalServer directory (e.g., version.txt or about/index.html in the Portal installation path), or log into the WebSphere Portal Administration console and navigate to About WebSphere Portal.
    Affected if Version cannot be determined - further investigation required.
  3. Determine the Cumulative Fix (CF) level
    In the WebSphere Portal Administration console, go to About > Version Info, or check the installedCumulativeFix file in the PortalServer/fix directory. Alternatively, run 'ls -la' on the fix directory to list installed CFs.
    Affected if CF level cannot be determined - assume affected if version falls in vulnerable range.
  4. Compare against affected versions
    Check if the base version is 6.1.0.x, 6.1.5.x, 7.x (up to 7.0.0.2), 8.0.0.x (up to 8.0.0.1), or 8.5.0, and verify the CF level is below the fixed version (CF28+ for 6.1.x, CF31+ for 7.x, CF22+ for 8.0.0.x, CF10+ for 8.5.0).
    Affected if Version and CF fall within the vulnerable ranges - potentially affected.
  5. Verify authentication requirements
    Review access control settings to understand if non-authenticated (anonymous) users have access to the Portal. The XSS requires authenticated user context to exploit.
    Affected if Only authenticated users can access Portal - vulnerability requires authenticated session; anonymous-only access reduces risk but check anyway.

If WebSphere Portal is installed with a version in the 6.1.0.x through 8.5.0 range AND the Cumulative Fix level is below the fixed threshold (CF28/CF31/CF22/CF10 depending on version), the environment is likely affected by this XSS vulnerability.

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 cumulative fix (CF28 or later for 6.1.x, CF31 or later for 7.x, CF22 or later for 8.0.0.x, CF10 or later for 8.5.0) from IBM Fix Central.

Fix this in Websphere Portal Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2016-2925 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