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CVE-2017-5344· NVD / CVE Program· CNA mitre

An issue was discovered in dotCMS through 3.6.1.

An issue was discovered in dotCMS through 3.6.1. The findChildrenByFilter() function which is called by the web accessible path /categoriesServlet performs string interpolation and direct SQL query execution. SQL quote escaping and a keyword blacklist were implemented in a new class, SQLUtil (main/java/com/dotmarketing/common/util/SQLUtil.java), as part of the remediation of CVE-2016-8902; however, these can be overcome in the case of the q and inode parameters to the /categoriesServlet path. Overcoming these controls permits a number of blind boolean SQL injection vectors in either parameter. The /categoriesServlet web path can be accessed remotely and without authentication in a default dotCMS deployment.

CriticalCVSS 9.8 · v3.0—Proof of concept No fix recorded
Published
Feb 17, 2017
Updated
Jun 16, 2026
EPSS
6.3% · 93th percentile
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Report tools

JSON

Action score

41

Plan

Add it to your regular patch cycle.

CVSS
39 / 40 · 9.8 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
2 / 30 · 6.3%

Affected systems

VendorProduct
dotcmsdotcms

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • dotcms dotcmsup to 3.6.1 inclusive

Same product

dotcms: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2022-26352An issue was discovered in the ContentResource API in dotCMS 3.0 through 22.02.KEV
    96Now
  • CVE-2020-6754dotCMS before 5.2.4 is vulnerable to directory traversal, leading to incorrect access control.
    67This week
  • CVE-2020-19138Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type in DotCMS v5.2.3 and earlier allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via the compon
    41Plan
  • CVE-2016-2355SQL injection vulnerability in the REST API in dotCMS before 3.3.2 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands via the stName
    40Plan
  • CVE-2016-8902SQL injection vulnerability in the categoriesServlet servlet in dotCMS before 3.3.1 allows remote not authenticated attackers to execute arb
    40Plan
  • CVE-2026-16337Improper authorization in the ToolGroupResource and RoleAjax REST/DWR endpoints in dotCMS dotCMS 21.02 through 26.06.22-03 on all platforms
    37Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

No fix version is recorded for this entry. Check the references for vendor advisories.

Exploit status

Proof of concept available

A public proof of concept or detection signature exists. Exploit knowledge is out there; don't delay patching.

Evidence

  • Exploit-DB entry ×1

Noroxi does not host or link to exploit code. Metasploit module names and Nuclei template ids are shown (names, not code); Exploit-DB entries and PoC repositories are given as counts only.

Public exploit evidence
SourceKindDate
Exploit-DB entrywebapps2017-02-16

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

  1. First PoC-1 d
  2. Published
  3. TodaySep 30, 2026+3512 d
EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

No nightly-computed relations.

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
  • No account or password is required.
  • No user action is required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
high · data can be read
Integrity
high · data or configuration can be modified
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted
Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
High
Integrity impact
High
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-89 · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

nvd-primary

Root cause

The query text is built by concatenating user input. The database cannot tell where the data ends and the command begins.

The bug in code

The whole CWE-89 class

A representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.

Vulnerable

ts
const owner = req.query.owner;const rows = await db.query(  "SELECT * FROM files WHERE owner = '" + owner + "'");

Fixed

ts
const owner = req.query.owner;const rows = await db.query(  "SELECT * FROM files WHERE owner = $1",  [owner]);

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

ATT&CK techniques

—

Noroxi analysis

No Noroxi analysis for this record yet

We don't hand-write analysis for all 385,000+ vulnerabilities; that wouldn't be honest. For notable, high-impact vulnerabilities our team writes the mechanism, detection and remediation steps.

We use this product, ask for help

Change log

No changes recorded on tracked fields yet. Score, KEV, exploit maturity and fix status changes appear here.

References

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records