CVE-2023-37539
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 · uneditedThe Domino Catalog template is susceptible to a Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability. An attacker with the ability to edit documents in the catalog application/database created from this template can embed a cross site scripting attack. The attack would be activated by an end user clicking it.
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 confidenceA stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability exists in the IBM HCL Domino Catalog template. Attackers with document edit privileges can embed malicious JavaScript code into catalog documents. When other users view or click these infected entries, the attacker's script executes in their browser session, potentially stealing session cookies or performing actions on behalf of the victim.
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= 11.0= 12.0= 14.0CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify Domino server versionRun command 'show server' in Domino Administrator console or check the version via installed software inventoryAffected if Installed version equals 11.0, 12.0, or 14.0 (exact match to affected versions)
-
Locate Catalog template databasesCheck Domino data directory for databases using 'Catalog' template (catalog.nsf, directory.nsf, or custom catalog databases)Affected if Any Catalog template database exists on the server
-
Verify Catalog template versionOpen database properties in Domino Designer or Administrator to view the template name and version usedAffected if Template is the HCL Domino Catalog template at affected version
-
Review catalog document edit permissionsCheck ACL settings on catalog databases to see which users or groups have Editor or higher accessAffected if Users other than administrators have Editor or higher access to catalog documents
-
Inspect catalog entries for suspicious contentOpen catalog documents using Domino Designer or Admin client and view all fields for script tags, javascript: URLs, or HTML event handlersAffected if Any catalog document contains embedded JavaScript, script tags, or HTML/Script injection patterns
Environment is affected if running Domino 11.0, 12.0, or 14.0 with any Catalog template database that has documents editable by non-admin 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 dataRemediate by identifying and purging malicious documents from affected catalog databases, then implement input validation and output encoding for all user-supplied content. Consider applying any available template updates from HCL.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-37539 — 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-2023-37539 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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