CVE-2017-7944
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 · uneditedXOOPS Core 2.5.8.1 has XSS due to unescaped HTML output of an Install DB failure error message in page_dbsettings.php.
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 confidenceXOOPS Core 2.5.8.1 contains a stored/reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the installer script page_dbsettings.php. When database connection fails during installation, the error message is displayed to users without proper HTML encoding, allowing an attacker to inject malicious HTML or JavaScript via the error output.
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= 2.5.8.1CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed XOOPS Core versionCheck the version file in your XOOPS installation (typically includes/version.php or similar version declaration file). Compare the version number to 2.5.8.1.Affected if The installed XOOPS Core version is exactly 2.5.8.1
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Locate the installer script page_dbsettings.phpSearch for the file page_dbsettings.php within the include or installer directory of your XOOPS installation. Common paths include htdocs/install/page_dbsettings.php or similar installation paths.Affected if The file page_dbsettings.php exists in your installation and the application version is 2.5.8.1
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Verify installer is accessibleCheck if the /install/ directory and page_dbsettings.php script are publicly accessible via HTTP/HTTPS request. The vulnerability only triggers when database connection fails during installation.Affected if The installer script is still accessible and the version is 2.5.8.1 - an attacker could trigger a database connection failure to inject malicious code through the unencoded error output
You are affected if your XOOPS Core installation is exactly version 2.5.8.1 AND the installer script page_dbsettings.php is accessible, allowing an attacker to trigger database connection failures and inject XSS through unencoded error messages.
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 dataEscape all user-controllable error message output using htmlspecialchars() or equivalent encoding functions before rendering in HTML context. Users should upgrade to a patched version of XOOPS Core if available.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-7944 — 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-2017-7944 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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