dbcve.org
Access ManagerApplication · Netiq

CVE-2017-5183

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-04-20
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

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
NetIQ Access Manager 4.2.2 and 4.3.x before 4.3.1+, when configured as an Identity Server, has XSS in the AssertionConsumerServiceURL field of a signed AuthnRequest in a samlp:AuthnRequest document.

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 confidence

NetIQ Access Manager versions 4.2.2 and 4.3.x before 4.3.1 contains a stored XSS vulnerability in the AssertionConsumerServiceURL parameter of SAML authentication requests (samlp:AuthnRequest) when the product functions as an Identity Server. An attacker could inject malicious script content into this field to compromise other users viewing the SAML response.

MitigationUpgrade to NetIQ Access Manager 4.3.1 or later to receive the vendor patch addressing this vulnerability.

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
Access ManagerApplication
Affected:= 4.2.2= 4.3= 4.3.1

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
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 checks

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

  1. Identify NetIQ Access Manager version
    Locate the installed version of NetIQ Access Manager. This is typically displayed in the administration console under 'About' or can be retrieved via the installer or version file in the installation directory. Common paths include /opt/novell/nam or the Windows Program Files directory.
    Affected if The installed version is 4.2.2, 4.3, or any 4.3.x version prior to 4.3.1 (e.g., 4.3.0). Versions 4.3.1 and later are NOT affected.
  2. Confirm Identity Server role is enabled
    Access the NetIQ Access Manager administration console and navigate to the component configuration. Verify that the Identity Server (formerly called Identity Provider) role is configured and active.
    Affected if The Identity Server component is not enabled or not configured - the vulnerability only applies when the product functions as an Identity Server handling SAML authentication.
  3. Verify SAML Identity Provider configuration exists
    In the administration console, locate the SAML Service Provider or Identity Provider settings. Confirm that SAML authentication is enabled and that the system is configured to process SAML AuthnRequest messages.
    Affected if SAML Identity Provider functionality is not configured or is disabled - the vulnerable AssertionConsumerServiceURL parameter only exists in SAML authentication request processing.
  4. Review SAML authentication logs for suspicious parameters
    Examine SAML authentication request logs or the incoming samlp:AuthnRequest messages. Look for the AssertionConsumerServiceURL parameter in the request payload for any unexpected script content or HTML tags.
    Affected if Malicious script content is found embedded in the AssertionConsumerServiceURL parameter of SAML authentication requests.

A user is affected if they are running NetIQ Access Manager version 4.2.2, 4.3, or 4.3.0 AND have the Identity Server role with SAML authentication enabled.

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

Upgrade to NetIQ Access Manager 4.3.1 or later to receive the vendor patch addressing this vulnerability.

Fix this in Access Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-5183 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2017-5183 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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