CVE-2017-3187 : Vulnerability Insights and Analysis

The dotCMS administration panel, versions 3.7.1 and earlier, are vulnerable to cross-site request forgery.

Understanding CVE-2017-3187

What is CVE-2017-3187?

Versions 3.7.1 and earlier of the dotCMS administration panel have a vulnerability to cross-site request forgery (CSRF), allowing attackers to perform actions with the same permissions as a victim user.

The Impact of CVE-2017-3187

If exploited, an attacker can execute actions in the dotCMS administration panel using the victim user's permissions or run arbitrary system commands with the application's user permissions.

Technical Details of CVE-2017-3187

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability in dotCMS allows attackers to exploit CSRF, potentially leading to unauthorized actions within the administration panel.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: Administration Panel
Vendor: docCMS
Versions Affected: <= 3.7.1

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers can carry out actions with victim user permissions by tricking them into triggering malicious requests.

Mitigation and Prevention

Immediate Steps to Take

Update dotCMS to version 3.7.2 or later to mitigate the CSRF vulnerability.
Educate users on recognizing and avoiding social engineering attacks.

Long-Term Security Practices

Implement multi-factor authentication to enhance user account security.
Regularly monitor and audit user activities within the dotCMS administration panel.

Patching and Updates

Stay informed about security updates and patches released by dotCMS to address vulnerabilities.