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SurveyApplication · Otrs

CVE-2023-38057

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-07-24
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.0.32 / 8.0.13 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
An improper input validation vulnerability in OTRS Survey modules allows any attacker with a link to a valid and unanswered survey request to inject javascript code in free text answers. This allows a cross site scripting attack while reading the replies as authenticated agent. This issue affects OTRS Survey module from 7.0.X before 7.0.32, from 8.0.X before 8.0.13 and ((OTRS)) Community Edition Survey module from 6.0.X through 6.0.22.

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

This is a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in OTRS Survey modules caused by improper input validation. Attackers with access to a valid survey link can inject malicious JavaScript code into free text answer fields, which executes when authenticated agents view the survey responses.

MitigationUpgrade OTRS to version 7.0.32+, 8.0.13+, or Community Edition 6.0.23+ to receive the patched input validation. Alternatively, implement server-side input sanitization for survey free-text fields before display.

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
SurveyApplication
Affected:>= 6.0.0, <= 6.0.22>= 7.0.0, < 7.0.32>= 8.0.0, < 8.0.13

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. Determine OTRS installation and version
    Locate the OTRS installation directory and check the version file (typically VERSION or Kernel/Config.pm) or access the admin interface System Administration page to view the installed OTRS version.
    Affected if The installed version falls within one of these ranges: 6.0.0 through 6.0.22, 7.0.0 through 7.0.31, or 8.0.0 through 8.0.12.
  2. Verify Survey module is enabled
    Access the OTRS admin interface and navigate to System Administration > SysConfig > Framework > Core::Survey, or inspect the Kernel/Config.pm file for Survey-related configuration entries.
    Affected if The Survey module is active and Survey functionality is enabled in the OTRS configuration.
  3. Confirm existence of surveys with free-text questions
    In the OTRS admin interface, go to Surveys > Survey Management and review existing surveys, or query the survey database tables (such as survey_question if accessible) for questions configured with free-text input types.
    Affected if Any survey exists that contains free-text answer fields where users can submit unstructured text responses.
  4. Check for existing survey responses
    Navigate to Surveys > Survey Responses in the agent interface to view submitted responses, or query the survey result tables (such as survey_answer if accessible) for any completed survey submissions.
    Affected if Any survey responses have been submitted to surveys containing free-text fields, creating potential for stored XSS to execute when agents view them.

You are affected if OTRS version is 6.0.22 or earlier, 7.0.31 or earlier, or 8.0.12 or earlier AND the Survey module is enabled with surveys that contain free-text fields and have existing responses.

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 7.0.32 / 8.0.13 or later
Fixed in 7.0.328.0.13
Interim mitigation

Upgrade OTRS to version 7.0.32+, 8.0.13+, or Community Edition 6.0.23+ to receive the patched input validation. Alternatively, implement server-side input sanitization for survey free-text fields before display.

Recommended fix High confidence

OTRS 7.0.32+ or 8.0.13+ (or latest 6.0.x if available for Community Edition)

  1. Identify your current OTRS Survey module version using the system information panel
  2. For OTRS 7.0.x users: Upgrade to version 7.0.32 or later
  3. For OTRS 8.0.x users: Upgrade to version 8.0.13 or later
  4. For OTRS Community Edition 6.0.x users: Upgrade to the latest available 6.0.x version (6.0.23 or later if available), or consider upgrading to a supported 7.0.x or 8.0.x release
  5. After upgrade, verify the Survey module is functioning correctly
  6. Review survey responses submitted during the vulnerable period for any suspicious JavaScript content
Caveat Review OTRS upgrade documentation for any configuration or migration requirements between major versions

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

Fix this in Survey 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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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-2023-38057 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