CVE-2017-3189 | The dotCMS administration panel, versions 3.7.1 and earlier, "Push Publishing" feature in Enterprise Pro is vulnerable to arbitrary file upload

The dotCMS administration panel, versions 3.7.1 and earlier, "Push Publishing" feature in Enterprise Pro is vulnerable to arbitrary file upload. When "Bundle" tar.gz archives uploaded to the Push Publishing feature are decompressed, there are no checks on the types of files which the bundle contains. This vulnerability combined with the path traversal vulnerability (CVE-2017-3188) can lead to remote command execution with the permissions of the user running the dotCMS application. An unauthenticated remote attacker may perform actions with the dotCMS administrator panel with the same permissions of a victim user or execute arbitrary system commands with the permissions of the user running the dotCMS application.

Published: 2018-07-24 Last update: 2026-06-16 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2017-3189 is rated Moderate Risk (64.7/100): CVSS High severity, with high exploitation likelihood (EPSS 6.55%, 93th percentile). Core evidence: EPSS ranks this CVE among the most likely to be exploited in the near term. Mandatory action: High exploitation likelihood—assess exposure and prioritize remediation.

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-2017-3189

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 2026-06-15 6.80% 6.55% -0.26%
2 2026-02-07 7.14% 6.80% -0.33%
3 2025-03-30 7.14%

Full EPSS history (11 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2017-3189

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
8.1 3.0 HIGH
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H 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:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
2.2 5.9 [email protected]
9.3 2.0 HIGH
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C Click to expand
Access vector (AV:N)
Can be exploited remotely over network reachability.
Access complexity (AC:M)
Exploitation needs some favorable conditions, but not exceptional ones.
Authentication (AU:N)
No authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:C)
Complete confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:C)
Complete integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:C)
Complete availability impact.
8.6 10.0 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2017-3189

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2017-3189

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
dotcms dotcms <= 3.7.1 cpe:2.3:a:dotcms:dotcms:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2017-3189

URL Tags
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/96616 Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
https://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/168699 Third Party Advisory US Government Resource
cvelogic Threat Intelligence