CVE-2016-4045
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 · uneditedAn issue was discovered in Open-Xchange OX App Suite before 7.8.1-rev11. Script code can be embedded to RSS feeds using a URL notation. In case a user clicks the corresponding link at the RSS reader of App Suite, code gets executed at the context of the user. Malicious script code can be executed within a user's context. This can lead to session hijacking or triggering unwanted actions via the web interface (sending mail, deleting data etc.). The attacker needs to reside within the same context to make this attack work.
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 confidenceOpen-Xchange OX App Suite contains a reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in its RSS reader. Attackers can embed malicious script code into RSS feeds using URL notation; when users click these malicious links within the RSS reader, the script executes in the context of the user's session, enabling session hijacking and unauthorized actions.
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<= 7.8.1CVSS 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.
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Identify installed OX App Suite versionCheck the package version or the about/info section in the OX App Suite admin interface, or run: dpkg -l | grep ox-appsuite or rpm -qa | grep ox-appsuiteAffected if version is 7.8.1 or lower, meaning it falls within the <= 7.8.1 affected range
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Determine if RSS reader feature is enabledLog in as admin and navigate to the settings or module configuration panel to see which features are activated for users, or check the configuration file (usually in /opt/open-xchange/etc/settings/) for rss or reader-related modulesAffected if the RSS reader module is enabled and available to end users
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Inspect RSS feed configuration filesLook for RSS-related configuration in /opt/open-xchange/etc/ or the configuration database for any custom feed URLs or settingsAffected if custom RSS feeds are configured and users can access them through the RSS reader
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Verify OX App Suite web interface accessibilityConfirm the OX App Suite web portal is accessible and users authenticate to access the RSS reader functionalityAffected if users have web access to OX App Suite and can interact with the RSS reader component
You are affected if your OX App Suite installation is version 7.8.1 or lower AND the RSS reader feature is enabled for users who can click on links within RSS feeds.
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 dataUpdate OX App Suite to version 7.8.1-rev11 or later. Implement output encoding and input validation on all user-supplied content rendered in the RSS reader to prevent script injection.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,088.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-4045 — 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-2016-4045 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
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- 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