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DotcmsApplication

CVE-2022-37431

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-08-05
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 22.06 or later.
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
A Reflected Cross-site scripting (XSS) issue was discovered in dotCMS Core through 22.06. This occurs in the admin portal when the configuration has XSS_PROTECTION_ENABLED=false. NOTE: the vendor disputes this because the current product behavior, in effect, has XSS_PROTECTION_ENABLED=true in all configurations

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

Reflected XSS vulnerability in dotCMS Core admin portal (versions up to 22.06) that allows injection of malicious scripts when XSS_PROTECTION_ENABLED is configured as false. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input sanitization in the admin interface.

MitigationSet XSS_PROTECTION_ENABLED=true in the dotCMS configuration, or upgrade to a version where this setting is enforced by default regardless of configuration.

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:<= 22.06

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:3.1/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 the installed dotCMS version
    Access the dotCMS admin portal or check the version file in the dotCMS installation directory. Look for a version display in the admin interface or a version.properties/version.txt file.
    Affected if The installed version is 22.06 or lower.
  2. Locate the XSS_PROTECTION_ENABLED configuration setting
    Find the dotCMS configuration file where custom settings are stored. This is typically in the dotCMS configuration directory or configuration panel.
    Affected if The configuration file exists and contains XSS_PROTECTION_ENABLED set to false.
  3. Verify if XSS_PROTECTION_ENABLED is explicitly set to true
    Examine the configuration to determine the current value of XSS_PROTECTION_ENABLED. Check if it is present and set to true, or if it is missing/undefined.
    Affected if XSS_PROTECTION_ENABLED is not set to true (either set to false, set to another value, or absent from configuration).
  4. Confirm the admin portal is accessible
    Verify that the dotCMS admin interface is reachable and operational. The vulnerability exists in the admin portal.
    Affected if The admin portal is accessible and the version and configuration conditions are met.

A system is affected if dotCMS version is 22.06 or lower and the XSS_PROTECTION_ENABLED setting is either absent or set to false (not set to true).

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 a release after 22.06
Interim mitigation

Set XSS_PROTECTION_ENABLED=true in the dotCMS configuration, or upgrade to a version where this setting is enforced by default regardless of configuration.

Recommended fix Low confidence
  1. 1. Verify the current XSS_PROTECTION_ENABLED setting in your dotCMS configuration (typically in the application.properties or dotmarketing-config.properties file)
  2. 2. Ensure XSS_PROTECTION_ENABLED is set to true (the vendor states this is the default behavior in all configurations)
  3. 3. If the setting is set to false, change it to: XSS_PROTECTION_ENABLED=true
  4. 4. Restart the dotCMS application for the configuration change to take effect
  5. 5. Verify the setting is applied correctly after restart

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

Fix this in Dotcms Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,088.

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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-2022-37431 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