dbcve.org
Alfresco Content ServicesApplication · Hyland

CVE-2023-49964

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-12-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 7.2.0 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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
An issue was discovered in Hyland Alfresco Community Edition through 7.2.0. By inserting malicious content in the folder.get.html.ftl file, an attacker may perform SSTI (Server-Side Template Injection) attacks, which can leverage FreeMarker exposed objects to bypass restrictions and achieve RCE (Remote Code Execution). NOTE: this issue exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2020-12873.

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

Hyland Alfresco Community Edition through 7.2.0 contains a Server-Side Template Injection (SSTI) vulnerability in the folder.get.html.ftl template file. Attackers can inject malicious FreeMarker template directives to bypass security restrictions and achieve Remote Code Execution (RCE). This issue exists because of an incomplete fix for the previous CVE-2020-12873.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied patches for this vulnerability and ensure FreeMarker template processing properly sanitizes all user-controlled input before rendering. Consider upgrading to a version beyond 7.2.0 if available.

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
Alfresco Content ServicesApplication
Affected:<= 7.2.0

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
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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 Alfresco version
    Check the Alfresco Content Services version through the admin console, about page, or version.properties file in the Alfresco installation directory. Common paths include <alfresco_home>/version.properties or the Tomcat web application manifest.
    Affected if The installed version is 7.2.0 or any version prior to 7.2.0.
  2. Locate the vulnerable template file
    Search for the file folder.get.html.ftl within the Alfresco web scripts or template directories. This is typically found in the Share or WCM quickr web scripts path under the folder template location.
    Affected if The file folder.get.html.ftl exists in the installation and is accessible to the web application.
  3. Verify FreeMarker template processing is enabled
    Confirm that FreeMarker template processing is active for the web scripts that render folder metadata. This is typically enabled by default in Alfresco but check the web script configuration files (.desc.xml) that reference FreeMarker templates.
    Affected if FreeMarker template processing is enabled and the folder.get.html.ftl template can be invoked via a web request.
  4. Test template injection point accessibility
    Attempt to access the folder.get.html.ftl template through the web interface or API endpoint that renders folder details. The typical endpoint pattern is /page/deployments/folder/{nodeRef} or similar folder detail endpoints.
    Affected if The template can be accessed and rendered without administrative authentication restrictions.

You are affected if running Hyland Alfresco Content Services version 7.2.0 or earlier AND the FreeMarker template processing for folder.get.html.ftl is accessible to users, allowing injection of malicious FreeMarker directives.

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 a release after 7.2.0
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor-supplied patches for this vulnerability and ensure FreeMarker template processing properly sanitizes all user-controlled input before rendering. Consider upgrading to a version beyond 7.2.0 if available.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to Alfresco Community Edition 7.3 or later (7.4, or the latest 23.x/24.x release if available)

  1. 1. Identify the current Alfresco Content Services version by checking the alfresco-global.properties file or the admin console.
  2. 2. Stop the Alfresco services to ensure a safe upgrade process.
  3. 3. Back up the existing Alfresco database and content store (repository/data and index directories).
  4. 4. Download the latest Alfresco Community Edition from the official Alfresco repository (github.com/Alfresco/alfresco-community-repo).
  5. 5. Install the new version following the upgrade documentation for your specific migration path (ensure compatibility with your database and OS).
  6. 6. Restore the backed-up content and database to the new installation.
  7. 7. Verify that the folder.get.html.ftl template has been updated or removed from the web scripts.
  8. 8. Restart Alfresco services and validate the application functions correctly.
Caveat Review release notes for breaking changes between 7.2.0 and the target version; ensure database compatibility and custom configurations are validated before production deployment

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

Fix this in Alfresco Content Services Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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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-2023-49964 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