RollerApplication · Apache
CVE-2023-37581
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 · uneditedInsufficient input validation and sanitation in Weblog Category name, Website About and File Upload features in all versions of Apache Roller on all platforms allows an authenticated user to perform an XSS attack. Mitigation: if you do not have Roller configured for untrusted users, then you need to do nothing because you trust your users to author raw HTML and other web content. If you are running with untrusted users then you should upgrade to Roller 6.1.2 and you should disable Roller's File Upload feature.
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 confidenceApache Roller versions prior to 6.1.2 contain a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Weblog Category name, Website About, and File Upload features due to insufficient input validation and sanitization. An authenticated user can inject malicious scripts through these fields that will be executed in the browsers of other users viewing the affected content. The vulnerability is exploitable by any authenticated user, regardless of role.
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
RollerApplication
< 6.1.2CVSS 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.
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Identify Apache Roller versionAccess the Roller administration interface and navigate to the About or System Info page to view the installed version. Alternatively, check any version file in the Roller installation directory or the pom.xml/build file if available.Affected if The installed version is prior to 6.1.2 (e.g., 6.1.0, 6.0.x, 5.x, etc.)
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Determine if File Upload feature is enabledLog in as an administrator and navigate to the Roller configuration settings. Look for the File Upload or Media File settings section to verify whether the upload functionality is turned on.Affected if File Upload feature is enabled in Roller's configuration
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Check user authentication configurationReview Roller's security or user management settings to determine whether the system permits authentication by users who are not fully trusted (e.g., open registration, external authentication sources, or users without editorial roles).Affected if The system allows authentication by untrusted or semi-trusted users who are not known to be benign
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Verify Weblog Category and Website About accessConfirm that authenticated users have the ability to create or edit blog categories and modify the Website About page. This can be verified through role permissions or by testing with a limited user account.Affected if Authenticated users can access and modify Weblog Category names or Website About content
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Inspect browser console for XSS injection pointsUsing a test authenticated account, attempt to input HTML or script tags into the Weblog Category name, Website About, or File Upload filename fields. Then view these fields as a different user and check the browser developer console for script execution errors or injected content rendering.Affected if Input validation does not sanitize or escape HTML/script content in these fields, allowing stored XSS
You are affected if running Apache Roller version prior to 6.1.2 and the system allows untrusted authenticated users to access the File Upload, Weblog Category, or Website About features.
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.
dbcve · scoped6.1.2
If Roller is configured for untrusted users, upgrade to version 6.1.2 and disable the File Upload feature in Roller's configuration. For deployments where all users are trusted, no action is required as HTML content authoring is an intended feature.
6.1.2
- Download Apache Roller 6.1.2 from the official Apache Roller website or Apache archives (lists.apache.org)
- Upgrade your Roller installation to version 6.1.2
- If running with untrusted users, disable the File Upload feature in Roller's configuration settings
- Test the upgrade in a staging environment before deploying to production
- Monitor for any issues after the upgrade
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Roller
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation5.0 h
- Testing4.0 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 $3,936.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-37581 — 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-2023-37581 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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- 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