CVE-2023-38694
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 · uneditedUmbraco is an ASP.NET content management system (CMS). Starting in version 8.0.0 and prior to versions 8.18.10, 10.7.0, and 12.1.0, a user with access to a specific part of the backoffice is able to inject HTML code into a form where it is not intended. Versions 8.18.10, 10.7.0, and 12.1.0 contain a patch for this issue.
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 confidenceUmbraco CMS versions 8.0.0 through 8.18.10, 10.7.0, and 12.1.0 contain an HTML injection vulnerability in a backoffice form. An authenticated user with access to a specific area of the backoffice can inject arbitrary HTML code into a form field where HTML input is not intended, potentially leading to stored HTML injection attacks.
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>= 8.0.0, < 8.18.10>= 9.0.0, < 10.7.0>= 11.0.0, < 12.1.0CVSS 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.
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Identify Umbraco CMS versionCheck the installed Umbraco version by reviewing the assembly version of Umbraco.Core.dll in the /bin folder, or look for the version in the website's footer in the backoffice login page, or check the umbraco-config.xml/manifest file if presentAffected if The installed version falls within 8.0.0 to 8.18.9, 9.0.0 to 10.6.x, or 11.0.0 to 12.0.x (i.e., less than 8.18.10, 10.7.0, or 12.1.0)
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Confirm backoffice access existsVerify that user accounts exist with access to the Umbraco backoffice by checking the Users section in the backoffice or reviewing the database Users table for active accountsAffected if Any authenticated user account exists with backoffice access
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Locate the vulnerable form areaNavigate to the backoffice area containing the affected form field; this vulnerability exists in a backoffice form where HTML input is not expected - check areas like member forms, content templates, or settings forms depending on your installationAffected if A backoffice user with access to the specific form can input data into fields not intended for HTML content
You are affected if your Umbraco installation version is less than 8.18.10, 10.7.0, or 12.1.0 AND any authenticated user has access to the backoffice area containing the vulnerable form field.
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 · scoped8.18.1010.7.012.1.0
Upgrade Umbraco to version 8.18.10, 10.7.0, or 12.1.0 or later. Alternatively, restrict backoffice access to only trusted administrators until the upgrade can be applied.
Upgrade to Umbraco 8.18.10 (for v8.x), 10.7.0 (for v9/v10.x), or 12.1.0 (for v11/v12.x) depending on your branch
- 1. Identify the current Umbraco version by checking the project files or the Umbraco backoffice (Help > About)
- 2. Determine which version branch your installation belongs to (v8, v9/v10, or v11/v12)
- 3. For Umbraco 8.x (versions 8.0.0 to 8.18.9): Upgrade to version 8.18.10 or later
- 4. For Umbraco 9.x/10.x (versions 9.0.0 to 10.6.x): Upgrade to version 10.7.0 or later
- 5. For Umbraco 11.x (versions 11.0.0 to 12.0.x): Upgrade to version 12.1.0 or later
- 6. Before upgrading, review the release notes for the target version for any breaking changes
- 7. Perform the upgrade using NuGet package manager: Update-Package Umbraco.Cms -Version <target-version>
- 8. Test the upgrade in a non-production environment before deploying to production
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-38694 — 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-2023-38694 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
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