CVE-2023-4136: Crafter engine Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-jfm4-3vv3-fm4v
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CVSS 7.4
CWE-79
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-4136 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.4) cross-site scripting vulnerability (CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')) affecting Crafter engine libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves cross-site scripting (xss) in craftercms. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.0.3, 3.1.28.

CVE-2023-4136 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-4136
GHSA Identifier GHSA-jfm4-3vv3-fm4v
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.4
CWE Classification CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Affected Product Crafter engine
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.4

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction Required (UI:R)
Scope Changed (S:C)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2023-4136

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

org.craftercms:crafter-engine fixed: 4.0.3 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.craftercms</groupId>
    <artifactId>crafter-engine</artifactId>
    <version>4.0.3</version>
</dependency>
org.craftercms:crafter-engine fixed: 3.1.28 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.craftercms</groupId>
    <artifactId>crafter-engine</artifactId>
    <version>3.1.28</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=org.craftercms

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2023-4136, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.craftercms

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Crafter engine in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 4.0.3), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.craftercms 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 CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting'), where the product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users. In Crafter engine, 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

Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in CrafterCMS Engine on Windows, MacOS, Linux, x86, ARM, 64 bit allows Reflected XSS.This issue affects CrafterCMS: from 4.0.0 through 4.0.2, from 3.1.0 through 3.1.27.

CVE-2023-4136 Affected Crafter engine Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
4.0.33.1.28
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.craftercms:crafter-engine
maven/org.craftercms/crafter-engine
Maven
≥ 4.0.0
< 4.0.3
4.0.3
org.craftercms:crafter-engine
maven/org.craftercms/crafter-engine
Maven
≥ 3.1.0
< 3.1.28
3.1.28

References

NVD — CVE-2023-4136 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-4136
Crafter engine Security Information SECURITY
https://docs.craftercms.org/en/4.0/security/advisory.html#cv-2023080301
Crafter engine Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/craftercms/engine
Crafter engine Security Information SECURITY
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/174304/CrafterCMS-4.0.2-Cross-Site-Scripting.html
seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2023... WEB
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2023/Aug/30

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-4136?
CVE-2023-4136 is a security vulnerability in Crafter engine involving Cross-site Scripting (XSS) in CrafterCMS under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting').
Which Crafter engine versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 4.0.3, 3.1.28 across affected packages: org.craftercms:crafter-engine.
What version fixes CVE-2023-4136?
Upgrading to 4.0.3, 3.1.28 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is crafter-engine affected?
Yes, org.craftercms:crafter-engine is affected in releases prior to 4.0.3, 3.1.28. Upgrade your dependency to 4.0.3, 3.1.28 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-4136?
CVE-2023-4136 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.4 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-4136?
CVE-2023-4136 is classified under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') (The product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2023-4136?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.craftercms'. 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-jfm4-3vv3-fm4v",
  "modified" : "2025-02-13T20:14:25Z",
  "published" : "2023-08-03T18:30:35Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-4136" ],
  "summary" : "Cross-site Scripting (XSS) in CrafterCMS",
  "details" : "Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in CrafterCMS Engine on Windows, MacOS, Linux, x86, ARM, 64 bit allows Reflected XSS.This issue affects CrafterCMS: from 4.0.0 through 4.0.2, from 3.1.0 through 3.1.27.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.craftercms:crafter-engine"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.0.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.craftercms:crafter-engine"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.1.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.1.28"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-4136"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://docs.craftercms.org/en/4.0/security/advisory.html#cv-2023080301"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/craftercms/engine"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/174304/CrafterCMS-4.0.2-Cross-Site-Scripting.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2023/Aug/30"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-79" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2025-02-13T20:14:25Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-08-03T15:15:34Z"
  }
}