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Websphere PortalApplication · Ibm

CVE-2017-1536

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-12-11
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable

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 · unedited
IBM Support Tools for Lotus WCM (IBM WebSphere Portal 7.0, 8.0, 8.5 and 9.0) is vulnerable to cross-site scripting. This vulnerability allows users to embed arbitrary JavaScript code in the Web UI thus altering the intended functionality potentially leading to credentials disclosure within a trusted session. IBM X-Force ID: 130733.

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 confidence

Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in IBM Support Tools for Lotus WCM affecting WebSphere Portal versions 7.0, 8.0, 8.5, and 9.0. The flaw allows injection of arbitrary JavaScript code into the web UI, which executes in the context of other users' sessions within a trusted session, potentially leading to credential disclosure or session hijacking.

MitigationApply IBM security patches for CVE-2017-1536. As an interim control, restrict or disable the IBM Support Tools for Lotus WCM functionality until patching is possible. Implement output encoding and input validation as defense-in-depth.

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
Websphere PortalApplication
Affected:= 7.0= 8.0= 8.5= 9.0

CVSS 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
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify WebSphere Portal version
    Run the command 'AboutWebSphere_Portal' or check the installation directory for version information. On WebSphere Portal, you can also query the version via the Administration console or check the file system at /opt/IBM/WebSphere/PortalServer/version on Linux or C:\IBM\WebSphere\PortalServer\version on Windows.
    Affected if The installed version matches 7.0, 8.0, 8.5, or 9.0 exactly.
  2. Locate IBM Support Tools for Lotus WCM installation
    Search for the 'Lotus WCM' or 'Web Content Management' support tools component in the WebSphere Portal installation directory. Check for presence of the IBM Support Tools plugin or module related to Lotus WCM under the PortalServer root directory.
    Affected if The IBM Support Tools for Lotus WCM component is installed on the system.
  3. Verify the vulnerable UI module is accessible
    Log into the WebSphere Portal admin console and navigate to the IBM Support Tools section. Check if the Lotus WCM management interface or related web UI endpoints are available and accessible.
    Affected if The Lotus WCM support tools web interface is accessible without additional security controls.
  4. Inspect HTTP responses for input reflection
    Use a browser or proxy to interact with the Lotus WCM support tools UI. Submit test input containing HTML or JavaScript characters in form fields or URL parameters within the WCM tools module, then inspect the response to see if input is reflected without proper encoding.
    Affected if User-supplied input in the Lotus WCM support tools interface is reflected in HTTP responses without encoding or sanitization.

You are affected if WebSphere Portal version 7.0, 8.0, 8.5, or 9.0 is running AND the IBM Support Tools for Lotus WCM component is installed and its web UI is accessible.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply IBM security patches for CVE-2017-1536. As an interim control, restrict or disable the IBM Support Tools for Lotus WCM functionality until patching is possible. Implement output encoding and input validation as defense-in-depth.

Fix this in Websphere Portal Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2017-1536 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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