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Directory ServerApplication · Microfocus

CVE-2017-5187

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-08-21
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2.3 or later.
See remediation →
95/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
A Cross-Site Request Forgery (CWE-352) vulnerability in Directory Server (aka Enterprise Server Administration web UI) in Micro Focus Enterprise Developer and Enterprise Server 2.3 and earlier, 2.3 Update 1 before Hotfix 8, and 2.3 Update 2 before Hotfix 9 allows remote unauthenticated attackers to view and alter (CWE-275) configuration information and inject OS commands (CWE-78) via forged requests.

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

Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Micro Focus Directory Server's Administration web UI allows remote attackers to inject OS commands and modify configuration by tricking authenticated administrators into submitting forged requests. The vulnerability affects Enterprise Developer and Enterprise Server versions 2.3 and earlier, plus specific Update 1 and Update 2 versions before their respective hotfixes.

MitigationApply vendor hotfixes: Hotfix 8 for version 2.3 Update 1, Hotfix 9 for version 2.3 Update 2, or upgrade to a version beyond 2.3. Additionally, implement anti-CSRF tokens in the admin web interface to prevent forged request exploitation.

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
Directory ServerApplication
Affected:all versions
Enterprise DeveloperApplication
Affected:= 2.3
Enterprise ServerApplication
Affected:<= 2.3= 2.3
Enterprise Server Monitor And ControlApplication
Affected:all versions

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
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

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

  1. Identify installed Micro Focus product versions
    Use the product's version check mechanism (typically via the product's About or version information dialog in the Administration web UI, or via the installed software inventory on the host) to determine if you are running Directory Server, Enterprise Developer, or Enterprise Server versions 2.3 or earlier, or any version of Enterprise Server Monitor And Control.
    Affected if The installed version is Microfocus Directory Server (any version), Enterprise Developer 2.3, Enterprise Server <= 2.3, or Enterprise Server Monitor And Control (any version).
  2. Verify Administration web UI exposure
    Check if the Micro Focus Administration web UI is accessible on the network. This is typically served on ports 86xx or similar (consult product documentation for your specific installation). Determine whether the web UI is reachable from network segments accessible to potential attackers.
    Affected if The Administration web UI is exposed without proper network segmentation or authentication barriers.
  3. Confirm anti-CSRF protection is implemented
    Inspect the web application's responses and forms within the Administration UI. Check for the presence of anti-CSRF tokens or similar protective measures in request parameters, headers, or session handling. Review the web application's source code or configuration if accessible.
    Affected if No anti-CSRF tokens are present in web forms and requests, or the application lacks CSRF protection mechanisms entirely.
  4. Check for recent security updates
    Review the installed hotfixes or patches. Consult the Micro Focus product's patch history or support documentation to verify whether Hotfix 8 (for 2.3 Update 1), Hotfix 9 (for 2.3 Update 2), or a version beyond 2.3 has been applied.
    Affected if The installation lacks the vendor-supplied hotfixes and remains on a vulnerable version.

You are affected if you are running any of the vulnerable Micro Focus products (Directory Server any version, Enterprise Developer 2.3, Enterprise Server <= 2.3, or Enterprise Server Monitor And Control any version) AND the Administration web UI is accessible AND no anti-CSRF protection or vendor hotfixes are present.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 2.3
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor hotfixes: Hotfix 8 for version 2.3 Update 1, Hotfix 9 for version 2.3 Update 2, or upgrade to a version beyond 2.3. Additionally, implement anti-CSRF tokens in the admin web interface to prevent forged request exploitation.

Fix this in Directory Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.

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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-2017-5187 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