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Openpages With WatsonApplication · Ibm

CVE-2023-43039

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-07-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.0.0.3 or later.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

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 OpenPages with Watson 9.0 is vulnerable to cross-site scripting. This vulnerability allows users to embed arbitrary JavaScript code in the Web UI thus altering the intended functionality potentially leading to credentials disclosure within a trusted session

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 confidence

This is a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in IBM OpenPages with Watson version 9.0. The flaw allows authenticated users to embed malicious JavaScript code into the Web UI, which executes in the browsers of other users viewing the affected content. Successful exploitation can lead to session hijacking and credential disclosure within trusted sessions.

MitigationApply the IBM patch for CVE-2023-43039 and implement output encoding/validation on all user-supplied input fields in the Web UI to prevent script injection.

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
Openpages With WatsonApplication
Affected:< 9.0.0.3

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
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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. Identify the IBM OpenPages with Watson version
    Access the IBM OpenPages administration console or check the installed product version through the system's about page or version information utility. Look for the exact version number displayed.
    Affected if The installed version is lower than 9.0.0.3 (for example, 9.0, 9.0.0.0, 9.0.0.1, or 9.0.0.2).
  2. Confirm Web UI access is enabled
    Verify that the IBM OpenPages Web UI interface is accessible and enabled for authenticated users. Check the web application configuration or the IBM WebSphere/Apache settings governing the OpenPages web application.
    Affected if The Web UI is active and accessible to authenticated users in an affected version.
  3. Verify authenticated user access to input fields
    Log in as an authenticated user to the OpenPages Web UI and navigate to content creation or editing areas where user-supplied input can be entered and saved. Identify fields that accept and store user content for display to other users.
    Affected if Authenticated users can create or modify content that is stored and displayed to other users in the Web UI.

A user is affected if they are running IBM OpenPages with Watson version 9.0.0.0 through 9.0.0.2 (any version below 9.0.0.3) and the Web UI is accessible to authenticated users who can input and store content viewed by others.

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 9.0.0.3 or later
Fixed in 9.0.0.3
Interim mitigation

Apply the IBM patch for CVE-2023-43039 and implement output encoding/validation on all user-supplied input fields in the Web UI to prevent script injection.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

IBM OpenPages with Watson 9.0.0.3 or later

  1. Identify your current IBM OpenPages with Watson version by accessing the About section in the application
  2. Download IBM OpenPages with Watson version 9.0.0.3 or later from IBM Fix Central (https://www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral)
  3. Review IBM OpenPages upgrade documentation for your deployment type (on-premise or cloud)
  4. Schedule a maintenance window and perform a full backup of the OpenPages database and configuration
  5. Install the upgrade following IBM's standard upgrade procedure for your deployment
  6. Verify the installation by logging into the OpenPages web interface
  7. Test that the XSS vulnerability is remediated by attempting to embed script content in the affected UI fields
Caveat IBM fix packs are typically cumulative; review IBM's release notes for version 9.0.0.3 for any known issues specific to your configuration

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

Fix this in Openpages With Watson 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
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,088.

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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-2023-43039 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