Dhis 2Application · Dhis2

CVE-2022-41947

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-12-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.36.12.1 / 2.37.8.1 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable

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
DHIS 2 is an open source information system for data capture, management, validation, analytics and visualization. Through various features of DHIS2, an authenticated user may be able to upload a file which includes embedded javascript. The user could then potentially trick another authenticated user to open the malicious file in a browser which would trigger the javascript code, resulting in a cross-site scripting (XSS) attack. DHIS2 administrators should upgrade to the following hotfix releases: 2.36.12.1, 2.37.8.1, 2.38.2.1, 2.39.0.1. Users unable to upgrade may add the following simple CSP rule in your web proxy to the vulnerable endpoints: `script-src 'none'`. This workaround will prevent all javascript from running on those endpoints.

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

DHIS 2 versions prior to 2.36.12.1, 2.37.8.1, 2.38.2.1, and 2.39.0.1 contain a stored XSS vulnerability where authenticated users can upload files containing embedded JavaScript that executes when another authenticated user opens the file in a browser.

MitigationUpgrade to the specified hotfix releases (2.36.12.1, 2.37.8.1, 2.38.2.1, or 2.39.0.1), or alternatively implement a `script-src 'none'` CSP rule on vulnerable endpoints via web proxy.

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
Dhis 2Application
Affected:>= 2.35.0, < 2.36.12.1>= 2.37.0, < 2.37.8.1>= 2.38.0, < 2.38.2.1= 2.39.0

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
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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. Confirm DHIS 2 installation
    Access the DHIS 2 web interface and locate the version number typically displayed in the footer of the application, or query the API endpoint /api/system/info
    Affected if The application is not DHIS 2
  2. Identify installed DHIS 2 version
    Locate the version string in the system info API response at /api/system/info or check the About page in the DHIS 2 interface
    Affected if The version matches one of the affected ranges: >= 2.35.0 and < 2.36.12.1, or >= 2.37.0 and < 2.37.8.1, or >= 2.38.0 and < 2.38.2.1, or equals 2.39.0
  3. Verify file upload feature access
    Log in as an authenticated user and confirm access to the file upload functionality (typically through the Data Import or File Resource sections in the maintenance or analysis modules)
    Affected if Authenticated users can upload files to the system
  4. Check for CSP mitigation header
    Use browser developer tools or a web proxy to inspect HTTP responses from DHIS 2 endpoints. Look for a Content-Security-Policy header containing script-src 'none' on file-serving endpoints
    Affected if No CSP header with script-src 'none' is present on file download endpoints, meaning the mitigation is not in place

A user is affected if their DHIS 2 version falls within the affected ranges and the file upload feature is accessible without the script-src 'none' CSP mitigation in place.

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 2.36.12.1 / 2.37.8.1 / 2.38.2.1 or later
Fixed in 2.36.12.12.37.8.12.38.2.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to the specified hotfix releases (2.36.12.1, 2.37.8.1, 2.38.2.1, or 2.39.0.1), or alternatively implement a `script-src 'none'` CSP rule on vulnerable endpoints via web proxy.

Recommended fix High confidence

2.36.12.1 (for 2.35.x) or 2.37.8.1 (for 2.37.x) or 2.38.2.1 (for 2.38.x) or 2.39.0.1 (for 2.39.0)

  1. Identify the currently installed DHIS 2 version by checking the application or system configuration
  2. Determine which upgrade path applies based on current version: for 2.35.x upgrade to 2.36.12.1; for 2.37.x upgrade to 2.37.8.1; for 2.38.x upgrade to 2.38.2.1; for 2.39.0 upgrade to 2.39.0.1
  3. Obtain the appropriate hotfix release from the official DHIS2 distribution channels
  4. Follow standard DHIS2 upgrade procedures: backup the database and configuration, stop the application server, replace the DHIS2 binaries with the new version, restart the application server
  5. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the version in the DHIS2 about page or API endpoint
  6. If unable to upgrade immediately, configure a web proxy (e.g., Nginx, Apache) to add Content-Security-Policy: script-src 'none' header to requests targeting the vulnerable file upload endpoints

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

Fix this in Dhis 2 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
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Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2022-41947 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