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DotcmsApplication

CVE-2020-18875

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-08-18
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.1.0 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable Zero-click

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
Incorrect Access Control in DotCMS versions before 5.1 allows remote attackers to gain privileges by injecting client configurations via vtl (velocity) files.

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 confidence

This is an Incorrect Access Control vulnerability in DotCMS content management system affecting versions prior to 5.1. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to inject malicious client configurations by uploading or manipulating Velocity template files (.vtl), enabling privilege escalation beyond what the user should normally have.

MitigationUpgrade to DotCMS version 5.1 or later to patch this vulnerability. Additionally, restrict file upload permissions and disable or closely control the ability to create/modify VTL template files for untrusted users.

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
DotcmsApplication
Affected:< 5.1.0

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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 checks

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

  1. Identify if DotCMS is installed
    Check for the presence of DotCMS by looking for the /dotcms/ directory in your web application root, or by accessing the login page at yourdomain.com/dotcms/
    Affected if DotCMS is found in the environment
  2. Determine the installed DotCMS version
    Access the DotCMS admin panel and navigate to System > About, or check the version.txt file in the DotCMS installation directory
    Affected if The installed version is any version prior to 5.1.0
  3. Check for Velocity template file upload capability
    Log in as a standard user and attempt to access the Tools > Template or Content > File Editor sections. Look for the ability to create, edit, or upload .vtl files
    Affected if Users with limited privileges can create or modify Velocity template (.vtl) files
  4. Inspect user role permissions for template management
    Navigate to System > Roles and Users in the admin panel, then review the permissions assigned to non-admin roles for the 'Template' resource
    Affected if Non-administrator roles have create, edit, or delete permissions on templates
  5. Scan for suspicious .vtl template files
    Search the DotCMS installation directory, typically under /dotserver/tomcat-X.X/webapps/ROOT/WEB-INF/velocity/, for recently modified or unexpected .vtl files containing malicious script content
    Affected if Unexpected .vtl files exist or templates contain code not authored by administrators

Your environment is affected if DotCMS is running and the installed version is prior to 5.1.0 and users with limited privileges can create or modify Velocity template files.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 5.1.0 or later
Fixed in 5.1.0
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to DotCMS version 5.1 or later to patch this vulnerability. Additionally, restrict file upload permissions and disable or closely control the ability to create/modify VTL template files for untrusted users.

Recommended fix High confidence

DotCMS 5.1.0 or later

  1. 1. Backup your current DotCMS installation and database before proceeding with any upgrade.
  2. 2. Download DotCMS version 5.1.0 or later from the official dotcms.com download repository.
  3. 3. Review the official upgrade guide for your current version to ensure compatibility.
  4. 4. Stop the DotCMS application service.
  5. 5. Deploy the new version following standard DotCMS upgrade procedures.
  6. 6. Verify that the VTL file handling and client configuration injection vulnerability is addressed.
  7. 7. Test that normal DotCMS functionality works as expected after the upgrade.
  8. 8. Restart the DotCMS application service.
Caveat Review release notes for any breaking changes between your current version and 5.1.0; major version upgrades may require migration steps

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Dotcms Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.

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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-2020-18875 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