CVE-2017-16521
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 · uneditedIn Inedo BuildMaster before 5.8.2, XslTransform was used where XslCompiledTransform should have been used.
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 confidenceInedo BuildMaster before version 5.8.2 uses the insecure XslTransform class for XSLT transformations instead of the safer XslCompiledTransform. XslTransform is known to be vulnerable to XML External Entity (XXE) injection attacks and other XML processing vulnerabilities due to insecure default settings.
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< 5.8.2CVSS 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
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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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Check BuildMaster versionLocate the BuildMaster installation directory and find the version information. This is typically in an about page, a version file, or the installer metadata. On Windows, check the program files directory or service properties.Affected if The installed version is earlier than 5.8.2 (any 5.x version below 5.8.2, or any version prior to the 5.x series)
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Verify XSLT transformation feature usageCheck if BuildMaster is configured to process XSLT transformations. Look for XSLT-related handlers, agents, or extension configurations in the BuildMaster web UI under administration or in configuration files.Affected if XSLT transformation features, custom handlers, or XML processing extensions are enabled or configured in BuildMaster
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Inspect XML processor configurationExamine BuildMaster configuration files (typically in the config or settings directories) for XML processing settings. Look for configurations that involve XslTransform class usage or XML transformation rules.Affected if Configuration files contain XslTransform references or insecure XML processing settings that enable external entity resolution
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Check for custom extension or handler deploymentsReview any custom extensions, plugins, or handlers deployed to the BuildMaster instance. Check the extensions directory for DLLs or scripts that perform XML or XSLT processing.Affected if Custom extensions or handlers that perform XSLT transformations are deployed to the BuildMaster instance
You are affected if BuildMaster version is earlier than 5.8.2 AND the XSLT transformation feature or custom XML processing extensions are in use.
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.
dbcve · scoped5.8.2
Upgrade Inedo BuildMaster to version 5.8.2 or later. If upgrading is not immediately possible, disable external entity resolution in XML processors and implement input validation for XSLT transformations.
BuildMaster 5.8.2 or later
- Upgrade Inedo BuildMaster to version 5.8.2 or later to remediate the insecure XslTransform usage vulnerability
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 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-2017-16521 — 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-2017-16521 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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