CVE-2016-9139
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 · uneditedCross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Open Ticket Request System (OTRS) 3.3.x before 3.3.16, 4.0.x before 4.0.19, and 5.0.x before 5.0.14 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a crafted attachment.
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 OTRS allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a crafted attachment file. The vulnerability exists in multiple version branches (3.3.x, 4.0.x, and 5.0.x) before their respective patched versions.
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= 3.0.0= 3.0.1= 3.0.2= 3.0.3= 3.0.4= 3.0.5= 3.0.6= 3.0.7= 3.0.8= 3.0.9= 3.0.10= 3.0.11CVSS 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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Confirm OTRS installation and versionLocate the OTRS installation directory and check the version file. On Linux systems, common paths include /opt/otrs/ or /usr/local/otrs/. Look for a VERSION or RELEASE file in the root OTRS directory, or check the kernel/Config.pm file for version information.Affected if The installed version matches 3.0.x (3.0.0 through 3.0.11), 3.3.x versions before 3.3.16, 4.0.x versions before 4.0.19, or 5.0.x versions before 5.0.14.
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Identify OTRS web interface availabilityVerify the OTRS web server is running and accessible. Check if the Apache or web server process is active and port 80/443 is listening. Access the OTRS login page via browser or curl command to confirm the application is reachable.Affected if The OTRS web interface is publicly or internally accessible without additional authentication controls.
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Verify ticket and attachment handling is enabledConfirm the OTRS ticket system module is operational. Check that users with appropriate permissions can create tickets and attach files. Review the OTRS system configuration for Ticket::Frontend::AgentTicketZoom or similar attachment-related settings.Affected if The ticket attachment feature is enabled and users can upload files to tickets, which is the default behavior in OTRS.
You are affected if OTRS versions 3.0.0-3.0.11, 3.3.x before 3.3.16, 4.0.x before 4.0.19, or 5.0.x before 5.0.14 are installed and the web-based ticket system with attachment handling is accessible.
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 OTRS to version 3.3.16, 4.0.19, or 5.0.14 or later to resolve the vulnerability. Alternatively, implement input validation and sanitization for attachment handling at the web application layer.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-9139 — 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-2016-9139 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
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