CVE-2017-14198
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. Authenticated users with permissions to edit design assets can cause Remote Code Execution (RCE) via a maliciously crafted time_format tag.
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 confidenceSquiz Matrix CMS before versions 5.3.6.1 and 5.4.1.3 contains a code injection vulnerability in the time_format tag that allows authenticated users with design asset editing permissions to execute arbitrary code on the server.
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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 Squiz Matrix versionLog into the Squiz Matrix admin interface and navigate to System Administration > System Info, or check the version file in the installation root directory if accessible.Affected if The installed version is 5.3.6.0 or earlier, or exactly matches 5.4.0.0 through 5.4.1.2
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Confirm version is within affected rangeCompare the identified version number against the known vulnerable versions: 5.3.6.0 and below, or 5.4.0.0 through 5.4.1.2Affected if The version falls within any of these vulnerable release numbers
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Verify time_format tag functionality existsCheck if the time_format tag is available in the system by examining the tag library or custom tag definitions within the Design asset section of the CMS.Affected if The time_format tag is present and loadable in the CMS tag system
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Identify users with design asset editing permissionsNavigate to User Administration in the Squiz Matrix admin panel and review user roles or permission sets that include Design or Asset editing rights.Affected if Any user accounts possess design asset editing permissions, creating a potential attack vector
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Audit usage of time_format tag in assetsSearch the asset tree or design assets for any instances where the time_format tag is being used in templates, pages or custom assets.Affected if The time_format tag is actively implemented in live design assets
The environment is affected if the installed Squiz Matrix version falls within the vulnerable range (5.3.6.0 or earlier, or 5.4.0.0 through 5.4.1.2) and users with design asset editing permissions can access the time_format tag functionality.
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 to Squiz Matrix 5.3.6.1 or 5.4.1.3 or later to patch the vulnerability; if immediate patching is not feasible, restrict or closely monitor users with design asset editing permissions.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-14198 — 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-2017-14198 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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