CVE-2025-8311
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 · unediteddotCMS versions 24.03.22 and after, identified a Boolean-based blind SQLi vulnerability in the /api/v1/contenttype endpoint. This endpoint uses the sites query parameter, which accepts a comma-separated list of site identifiers or keys. The vulnerability was triggered via the sites parameter, which was directly concatenated into a SQL query without proper sanitization. Exploitation allowed an authenticated attacker with low privileges to extract data from database, perform privilege escalation, or trigger denial-of-service conditions. The vulnerability was verified using tools such as SQLMap and confirmed to allow full database exfiltration and potential denial-of-service conditions via crafted payloads. The vulnerability is fixed in the following versions of dotCMS stack: 25.08.14 / 25.07.10-1v2 LTS / 24.12.27v10 LTS / 24.04.24v21 LTS
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 confidenceBoolean-based blind SQL injection vulnerability in dotCMS /api/v1/contenttype endpoint where the sites query parameter accepts comma-separated site identifiers that are directly concatenated into SQL queries without proper sanitization or parameterization, allowing authenticated low-privilege attackers to inject malicious SQL payloads.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
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
- Authentication
- X
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- X
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
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 dotCMS installation and versionCheck for dotCMS by inspecting HTTP response headers (look for 'X-dotcms-token' or 'dotCMS' in headers), or check for 'dotmarketing' directories in the web root. Retrieve the version from the admin login page, /api/v1/bundle/ping endpoint, or the 'dotmarketing-config.xml' configuration file in the application directory.Affected if The installed dotCMS version is earlier than 25.08.14, 25.07.10-1v2 LTS, 24.12.27v10 LTS, or 24.04.24v21 LTS (or if version cannot be determined and the product is confirmed as dotCMS)
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Confirm the vulnerable endpoint is exposedVerify the /api/v1/contenttype endpoint is accessible by sending a GET request to /api/v1/contenttype with valid authentication. Use tools like curl or Burp Suite to test: curl -k -u <user>:<pass> https://<target>/api/v1/contenttypeAffected if The endpoint returns a 200 OK response with JSON content (indicating the API is active and accessible)
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Verify authentication is requiredFirst, test the endpoint without credentials to confirm it requires authentication. Then confirm you have valid low-privilege user credentials (not admin) by attempting to access the endpoint: curl -k -u lowprivuser:password https://<target>/api/v1/contenttypeAffected if The endpoint accepts authentication from a low-privilege (non-admin) user and returns content data
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Inspect the sites parameter behaviorSend a request to /api/v1/contenttype with the sites parameter containing a test value: curl -k -u <user>:<pass> 'https://<target>/api/v1/contenttype?sites=test'. Observe whether the value is used in SQL queries by checking for errors, different response times (for time-based blind SQLi), or unusual behavior.Affected if The sites parameter accepts input and processes it without error, or if you observe SQL syntax errors in the response indicating the input is concatenated directly into a query
A system is affected if it runs a vulnerable dotCMS version (before the fixed releases), has the /api/v1/contenttype endpoint accessible, and allows authenticated low-privilege users to submit the sites parameter without proper SQL sanitization.
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 fixed dotCMS versions (25.08.14, 25.07.10-1v2 LTS, 24.12.27v10 LTS, or 24.04.24v21 LTS), or implement proper input validation and parameterized queries for the sites parameter.
Upgrade to dotCMS 25.08.14 (or 25.07.10-1v2 LTS for long-term support)
- Identify the current dotCMS version by checking the administration console or the dotmarketing.conf file
- Review the release notes for the target fixed version (25.08.14, 25.07.10-1v2 LTS, 24.12.27v10 LTS, or 24.04.24v21 LTS) to understand changes and any migration requirements
- Perform a complete backup of the dotCMS database and the application filesystem
- Stop the dotCMS application server or service
- Upgrade dotCMS to one of the fixed versions (recommended: 25.08.14 for latest features or 25.07.10-1v2 LTS for stability) following the official upgrade documentation
- Start the dotCMS application server and verify the service is running
- Log in to the admin panel and navigate to the /api/v1/contenttype endpoint to confirm the vulnerability is no longer exploitable
- Verify that existing content and workflows function correctly after the upgrade
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-8311 — 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-2025-8311 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
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