CVE-2017-11195
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 · uneditedPulse Connect Secure 8.3R1 has Reflected XSS in launchHelp.cgi. The helpLaunchPage parameter is reflected in an IFRAME element, if the value contains two quotes. It properly sanitizes quotes and tags, so one cannot simply close the src with a quote and inject after that. However, an attacker can use javascript: or data: to abuse this.
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 · moderate confidenceReflected XSS in Pulse Connect Secure 8.3R1's launchHelp.cgi where the helpLaunchPage parameter is reflected in an IFRAME src attribute. While the application sanitizes quotes and tags to prevent closing the src attribute, it fails to block javascript: or data: URL protocols, allowing an attacker to inject arbitrary JavaScript via the iframe source.
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= 8.3r1.0CVSS 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 Pulse Connect Secure installationIdentify if Pulse Connect Secure (PCS) VPN gateway software is deployed in your environment. This is typically a network appliance or virtual appliance providing SSL VPN services.Affected if The product is not Pulse Connect Secure, this CVE does not apply.
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Check installed version numberAccess the admin console or use system commands to retrieve the exact version of Pulse Connect Secure. Compare against the affected version 8.3r1.0.Affected if Version is exactly 8.3r1.0 - this specific version is affected.
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Locate the launchHelp.cgi endpointVerify the web interface includes the /dana-na/hc/launchHelp.cgi handler. This is typically accessible at https://your-vpn-host/dana-na/hc/launchHelp.cgiAffected if The endpoint does not exist in your deployment, the vulnerability is not present.
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Test helpLaunchPage parameter for injectionSend a crafted request to launchHelp.cgi with the helpLaunchPage parameter set to a javascript: or data: URL (e.g., helpLaunchPage=javascript:alert(1)). Observe if the response reflects this unsanitized in an IFRAME src attribute.Affected if The javascript: or data: protocol is reflected unfiltered in the response, indicating successful exploitation.
You are affected if you run Pulse Connect Secure version 8.3r1.0 and the launchHelp.cgi endpoint reflects javascript: or data: URLs from the helpLaunchPage parameter without filtering.
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 dataApply the vendor patch for CVE-2017-11195 or upgrade to a fixed version. As a compensating control, consider web application firewall rules to block javascript: and data: URL schemes in the helpLaunchPage parameter.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-11195 — 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-2017-11195 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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