CVE-2012-1826: Dotcms DotCMS Allows Remote Authenticated Users Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-42vg-q6mw-cfh5
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Advisory Summary

CVE-2012-1826 is a HIGH dotcms allows remote authenticated users vulnerability (General Security Weakness) affecting Dotcms libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves dotcms allows remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary java code. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.9.5.1.

CVE-2012-1826 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2012-1826
GHSA Identifier GHSA-42vg-q6mw-cfh5
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification General Security Weakness
Affected Product Dotcms
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2012-1826

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Dotcms dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

com.dotcms:dotcms fixed: 1.9.5.1 
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.dotcms</groupId>
    <artifactId>dotcms</artifactId>
    <version>1.9.5.1</version>
</dependency>
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.dotcms

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2012-1826, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.dotcms

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Dotcms in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.9.5.1), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.dotcms command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under General Security Weakness. In Dotcms, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

dotCMS 1.9 before 1.9.5.1 allows remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary Java code via a crafted (1) XSLT or (2) Velocity template.

CVE-2012-1826 Affected Dotcms Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.9.5.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
com.dotcms:dotcms
maven/com.dotcms/dotcms
Maven
≥ 1.9
< 1.9.5.1
1.9.5.1

References

NVD — CVE-2012-1826 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2012-1826
Dotcms Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/dotCMS/dotCMS/issues/261
Dotcms Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/dotCMS/dotCMS/issues/281
Dotcms Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/dotCMS/dotCMS
web.archive.org/web/20201208044614/... WEB
https://web.archive.org/web/20201208044614/https://gist.github.com/jtesser/2627440
Dotcms Security Information SECURITY
https://web.archive.org/web/20210124000108/https://www.securityfocus.com/bid/53688
Dotcms Security Information SECURITY
http://dotcms.com/dotCMSVersions
www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/898083 WEB
http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/898083

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2012-1826?
CVE-2012-1826 is a security vulnerability in Dotcms involving dotCMS allows remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary Java code under General Security Weakness.
Which Dotcms versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.9.5.1 across affected packages: com.dotcms:dotcms.
What version fixes CVE-2012-1826?
Upgrading to 1.9.5.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is dotcms affected?
Yes, com.dotcms:dotcms is affected in releases prior to 1.9.5.1. Upgrade your dependency to 1.9.5.1 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2012-1826?
CVE-2012-1826 is classified under General Security Weakness.
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2012-1826?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.dotcms'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-42vg-q6mw-cfh5",
  "modified" : "2025-04-12T02:31:32Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-17T05:18:41Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2012-1826" ],
  "summary" : "dotCMS allows remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary Java code",
  "details" : "dotCMS 1.9 before 1.9.5.1 allows remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary Java code via a crafted (1) XSLT or (2) Velocity template.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "com.dotcms:dotcms"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "1.9"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.9.5.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2012-1826"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/dotCMS/dotCMS/issues/261"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/dotCMS/dotCMS/issues/281"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/dotCMS/dotCMS"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20201208044614/https://gist.github.com/jtesser/2627440"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20210124000108/https://www.securityfocus.com/bid/53688"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://dotcms.com/dotCMSVersions"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/898083"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2025-04-12T02:31:18Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2012-06-08T16:55:00Z"
  }
}