CVE-2017-3188 : Security Advisory and Response

The dotCMS administration panel, versions 3.7.1 and earlier, "Push Publishing" feature in Enterprise Pro is vulnerable to path traversal.

Understanding CVE-2017-3188

This CVE involves a vulnerability in the dotCMS administration panel that allows for path traversal, potentially leading to unauthorized actions and system command execution.

What is CVE-2017-3188?

The vulnerability in the dotCMS administration panel, specifically in versions 3.7.1 and earlier, enables attackers to upload malicious tar.gz archives to the "Push Publishing" feature, leading to path traversal and unauthorized file writing.

The Impact of CVE-2017-3188

Attackers can upload archives to the Push Publishing feature, bypassing proper file validation, and write files to any directory on the file system.
Unauthorized remote attackers can exploit this vulnerability to perform actions within the dotCMS administrator panel without authentication.
Attackers can execute arbitrary system commands with the permissions of the user running the dotCMS application.

Technical Details of CVE-2017-3188

The following technical details outline the specifics of this CVE.

Vulnerability Description

Path traversal vulnerability in the dotCMS administration panel versions 3.7.1 and earlier.
Improper validation of filenames within uploaded tar.gz archives.

Affected Systems and Versions

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

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers can upload malicious tar.gz archives to the Push Publishing feature.
By exploiting a CSRF vulnerability (CVE-2017-3187), attackers can perform unauthorized actions within the dotCMS administrator panel.

Mitigation and Prevention

Protect your systems from CVE-2017-3188 with the following measures.

Immediate Steps to Take

Update dotCMS to a version beyond 3.7.1 to mitigate the vulnerability.
Implement proper input validation and sanitization techniques.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly monitor and audit file uploads and system commands.
Conduct security training for administrators and users to recognize and report suspicious activities.

Patching and Updates

Apply security patches and updates provided by dotCMS promptly.