CVE-2017-20188 | Zimbra zm-ajax XFormItem.js XFormItem.prototype.setError cross site scripting

A vulnerability has been found in Zimbra zm-ajax up to 8.8.1 and classified as problematic. Affected by this vulnerability is the function XFormItem.prototype.setError of the file WebRoot/js/ajax/dwt/xforms/XFormItem.js. The manipulation of the argument message leads to cross site scripting. The attack can be launched remotely. The complexity of an attack is rather high. The exploitation appears to be difficult. Upgrading to version 8.8.2 is able to address this issue. The identifier of the patch is 8d039d6efe80780adc40c6f670c06d21de272105. It is recommended to upgrade the affected component. The identifier VDB-249421 was assigned to this vulnerability.

Published: 2024-01-02 Last update: 2024-11-21 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2017-20188 is rated Low Risk (20.8/100): CVSS Low severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.13%). Mandatory action: Monitor for updates and reassess as exploit intelligence or EPSS changes.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2017-20188

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2025-03-30 0.18% 0.13% -0.05%
2 2025-03-29 0.07% 0.18% +0.11%
3 2025-01-08 0.07%

Full EPSS history (6 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2017-20188

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
2.6 3.1 LOW
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:R)
A real person has to do something—click, install, enable—otherwise it doesn’t land.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:L)
Attackers could change some data, but it’s limited—not everything goes.
Availability (A:N)
Service keeps running; no real outage angle.
1.2 1.4 [email protected]
4.7 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:R)
A real person has to do something—click, install, enable—otherwise it doesn’t land.
Scope (S:C)
Breaking this can reach past the original component and bite other resources—bigger blast radius.
Confidentiality (C:L)
Some sensitive info could get out, but not a total data dump.
Integrity (I:L)
Attackers could change some data, but it’s limited—not everything goes.
Availability (A:N)
Service keeps running; no real outage angle.
1.6 2.7 [email protected]
2.1 2.0 LOW
AV:N/AC:H/Au:S/C:N/I:P/A:N Click to expand
Access vector (AV:N)
Can be exploited remotely over network reachability.
Access complexity (AC:H)
Exploitation requires uncommon or highly specific conditions.
Authentication (AU:S)
A single authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:N)
No confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:P)
Partial integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:N)
No availability impact.
3.9 2.9 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2017-20188

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2017-20188

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
zimbra zm-ajax < 8.8.2 cpe:2.3:a:zimbra:zm-ajax:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2017-20188

cvelogic Threat Intelligence