CVE-2017-14197
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 Squiz Matrix before 5.3.6.1 and 5.4.x before 5.4.1.3. There are multiple reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) issues in Matrix WYSIWYG plugins.
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 confidenceReflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Squiz Matrix CMS WYSIWYG plugins. The vulnerability allows attackers to inject malicious scripts through unsanitized user input in WYSIWYG-related parameters, which is then reflected back to the user without proper encoding.
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<= 5.3.6.0= 5.4.0.0= 5.4.0.1= 5.4.0.2= 5.4.0.3= 5.4.1.0= 5.4.1.1= 5.4.1.2CVSS 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 Squiz Matrix versionLocate the version file or admin interface version display. Common locations include a version info file in the system root or the administration dashboard 'About' section.Affected if The installed version matches <= 5.3.6.0, 5.4.0.0 through 5.4.0.3, or 5.4.1.0 through 5.4.1.2
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Confirm WYSIWYG editor is enabledCheck if any WYSIWYG-related modules or plugins are active in the system. This may be visible in the admin interface under system settings, plugin management, or content editor configuration.Affected if WYSIWYG functionality is enabled and accessible to users submitting content
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Identify vulnerable WYSIWYG parameter usageReview application logs or network traffic for requests containing WYSIWYG-related parameters (such as those used in plugin interfaces) that may reflect user input without encoding.Affected if The application reflects unsanitized user input from WYSIWYG plugin parameters back to the user
The environment is affected if Squiz Matrix version falls within the vulnerable ranges AND WYSIWYG functionality is enabled and processing user-supplied input.
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 Squiz Matrix to version 5.3.6.1 or later (5.3.x branch) or 5.4.1.3 or later (5.4.x branch). Alternatively, implement input validation and output encoding on all WYSIWYG plugin parameters to neutralize XSS payloads.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-14197 — 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-2017-14197 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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