CVE-2023-5118
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 · uneditedThe application is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) in the endpoint /sofer/DocumentService.asc/SaveAnnotation, where input data transmitted via the POST method in the parameters author and text are not adequately sanitized and validated. This allows for the injection of malicious JavaScript code. The vulnerability was identified in the function for adding new annotations while editing document content. Reporters inform that the vulnerability has been removed in software versions above 11.1.x. Previous versions may also be vulnerable, but this has not been confirmed.
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 confidenceStored Cross-Site Scripting vulnerability in the /sofer/DocumentService.asc/SaveAnnotation endpoint where the 'author' and 'text' POST parameters are not sanitized before storage, allowing malicious JavaScript to execute when annotations are rendered.
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<= 11.0.0CVSS 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 Kofax Capture installationCheck for Kofax Capture installation directory (default: C:\Program Files\Kofax\Capture or C:\Program Files (x86)\Kofax\Capture) and look for version information in about or readme files, or check Windows Programs and Features for 'Kofax Capture' entry showing version numberAffected if Version displayed is 11.0.0 or lower, or version cannot be determined but product is present
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Locate DocumentService.asc fileSearch for DocumentService.asc in the Kofax installation directory, typically under web\sofer or similar web application pathsAffected if The file exists in the installation directory, indicating the vulnerable component is present
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Check for web service exposureReview IIS or other web server configuration for Kofax Capture web applications; look for virtual directories or applications under /sofer/ pathAffected if A web application exposing the /sofer/ path is configured and enabled
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Verify annotation feature is in useCheck application logs, user configuration, or database for recent annotation creation activity; verify the annotation module is enabled in Kofax Capture settingsAffected if The annotation feature is enabled or has been used (evidenced by annotation tables in database or configuration files)
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Test SaveAnnotation endpoint accessibilityAttempt a local HTTP request to the SaveAnnotation endpoint (POST to /sofer/DocumentService.asc/SaveAnnotation) with test author/text parameters to confirm the endpoint accepts input - requires authenticated accessAffected if Endpoint responds and accepts POST parameters without rejecting or sanitizing input
If Kofax Capture version 11.0.0 or lower is installed AND the /sofer/DocumentService.asc web component is present and accessible, the environment is likely affected by this stored XSS vulnerability.
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 · scopedUpgrade to software version above 11.1.x; alternatively, implement proper input validation and output encoding for the author and text parameters in the SaveAnnotation function.
Kofax Capture 11.1.0 or later
- Identify the current Kofax Capture version installed in the environment
- Obtain the latest Kofax Capture version from the official vendor (version 11.1.0 or later, as the vulnerability was removed in versions above 11.1.x)
- Plan and schedule the upgrade during a maintenance window
- Backup the current Kofax Capture configuration and database before upgrading
- Install the upgraded Kofax Capture version (11.1.0 or later) following vendor documentation
- Verify the upgrade completed successfully
- Test the /sofer/DocumentService.asc/SaveAnnotation endpoint to confirm the XSS vulnerability is remediated
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-5118 — 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-2023-5118 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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