Joomla\!Application · Joomla
CVE-2017-9933
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 · uneditedImproper cache invalidation in Joomla! CMS 1.7.3 through 3.7.2 leads to disclosure of form contents.
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 confidenceImproper cache invalidation in Joomla! CMS versions 1.7.3 through 3.7.2 allows cached form contents to be served to subsequent users, leading to potential disclosure of sensitive data submitted through forms. The vulnerability stems from the caching mechanism not properly invalidating or refreshing stored form data, causing information to persist and be exposed across user sessions.
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
Joomla\!Application
= 1.7.3= 1.7.4= 1.7.5= 2.5.0= 2.5.1= 2.5.2= 2.5.3= 2.5.4= 2.5.5= 2.5.6= 2.5.7= 2.5.8CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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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Locate the Joomla installation and configuration fileFind the configuration.php file in the web root of your Joomla installation. This file typically resides in the root directory where Joomla is installed.Affected if The file exists and contains Joomla-specific configuration settings.
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Determine the installed Joomla versionOpen configuration.php and look for a line similar to public $version = 'x.x.x'; or check the file /administrator/manifests/files_joomla.xml for the <version> tag.Affected if The version string matches 1.7.3 through 3.7.2, or falls within that range.
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Check if caching is enabledIn configuration.php, look for the line public $caching = '0' or public $caching = '1' (or similar variations). Also check public $cache_handler and public $cache_time settings.Affected if Caching is enabled (value set to 1, '1', or a valid cache handler is configured).
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Verify the cache folder contains cached form dataInspect the /cache directory (or the configured cache directory from configuration.php). Look for files that may contain form submissions, particularly in cache folders related to system plugins or custom forms.Affected if Cached files exist that may contain previously submitted form data from users.
You are affected if your Joomla version is between 1.7.3 and 3.7.2 inclusive AND caching is enabled, because cached form contents could be served to other users.
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 dataUpgrade Joomla! CMS to version 3.7.3 or later to receive the patched cache invalidation logic. Additionally, clear all existing caches and consider rotating any credentials that may have been submitted through forms during the vulnerable period.
Fix this in Joomla\!
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 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 $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-9933 — 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-2017-9933 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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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.
- 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