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Filenet Content ManagerApplication · Ibm

CVE-2023-38366

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-03-01
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
62/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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
IBM Filenet Content Manager Component 5.5.8.0, 5.5.10.0, and 5.5.11.0 could allow a remote attacker to traverse directories on the system. An attacker could send a specially crafted URL request containing "dot dot" sequences (/../) to view arbitrary files on the system. IBM X-Force ID: 261115.

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

IBM Filenet Content Manager versions 5.5.8.0, 5.5.10.0, and 5.5.11.0 contain a path traversal vulnerability allowing remote attackers to view arbitrary files on the system by sending specially crafted URL requests containing dot-dot sequences (/../). The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation on URL path parameters.

MitigationApply vendor-provided patches or upgrades to a fixed version. Implement input validation and canonicalization on all file path parameters to reject sequences containing ../ and ensure paths resolve within intended directories.

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
Filenet Content ManagerApplication
Affected:= 5.5.8= 5.5.10= 5.5.11

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
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/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 installed IBM Filenet Content Manager version
    Check the version through the administration console, or look for version info in the installation directory in files like version.properties, about.html, or the administration WAR file manifest
    Affected if The installed version is 5.5.8, 5.5.10, or 5.5.11
  2. Confirm the web application is accessible
    Verify the IBM Filenet Content Manager web interface is running and accessible on the network. Attempt to reach the application URL (typically / Workplace or /NeckWeb endpoints)
    Affected if The web interface is running and exposed
  3. Check for URL parameter handling
    Review web server or proxy logs for incoming requests containing path traversal sequences like /../ in the URL path. Also inspect any existing WAF or intrusion detection logs
    Affected if Requests with ../ sequences are being processed without rejection or are logged as blocked
  4. Verify input validation configuration
    Examine the web application configuration files (such as web.xml or IBM HTTP Server configuration) for any URL filtering or input validation rules related to path parameters
    Affected if No path traversal protection is configured or defined rules are absent

A user is affected if IBM Filenet Content Manager version 5.5.8, 5.5.10, or 5.5.11 is installed and the web interface is accessible, allowing potential exploitation of the path traversal via specially crafted URLs containing /../ sequences.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply vendor-provided patches or upgrades to a fixed version. Implement input validation and canonicalization on all file path parameters to reject sequences containing ../ and ensure paths resolve within intended directories.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

IBM Filenet Content Manager 5.5.12 or later (or latest available cumulative patch/ifid for your version)

  1. 1. Check IBM Fix Central (fixcentral.ibm.com) for IBM Filenet Content Manager security patches
  2. 2. Search for CVE-2023-38366 or APAR numbers related to this vulnerability
  3. 3. Download and apply the appropriate interim fix (iFID) or cumulative patch for your current version (5.5.8, 5.5.10, or 5.5.11)
  4. 4. Alternatively, upgrade to IBM Filenet Content Manager 5.5.12 or later which contains the security fix
  5. 5. After applying the fix, test the directory traversal protection by verifying that URLs with /../ sequences are rejected
  6. 6. Restart the affected IBM Content Platform Engine services as required by the patch
Caveat Review IBM's patch readme for any configuration changes or compatibility considerations before applying

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

Fix this in Filenet Content Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,800
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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-2023-38366 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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