Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:HCVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.
Summary
CVE-2023-36217 is a critical-severity Cross-site Scripting (CWE-79) vulnerability in Xoops Xoops. Its CVSS base score is 9.0 (Critical).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Protocol or Service Impersonation (T1001.003); ranked in the top 25% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2023-36217 is a cross-site scripting vulnerability, tracked as CWE-79, that affects the image manager function in Xoops CMS version 2.5.10. The flaw resides in the category name field and carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 9.0, reflecting network attack vector, low complexity, and high impact across confidentiality, integrity, and availability when the vulnerable component is embedded in a larger application.
An authenticated remote attacker with low privileges can supply a crafted category name that executes arbitrary script in the context of other users' sessions. Successful exploitation yields the ability to hijack accounts, exfiltrate data, or perform actions on behalf of victims who view the manipulated image manager content, owing to the reflected or stored nature of the script injection.
Public references point to the XoopsCore25 v2.5.10 release tags and associated Exploit-DB entries, indicating that the published version contains the defect and that exploit code has been made available; administrators are therefore advised to monitor subsequent XOOPS releases for corrective patches that address the input-handling weakness in the image manager.
The EPSS score reached a peak of 0.0817 after disclosure, demonstrating a measurable increase in exploitation interest that warrants attention beyond the initial announcement.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2023-40194
Vulnerability Data
Cross Site Scripting vulnerability in Xoops CMS v.2.5.10 allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code via the category name field of the image manager function.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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V1.1.2V1.3.2
Likely Mitigating Controls AI
Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.
Penetration testing submits XSS payloads to web applications, detecting cross-site scripting flaws for subsequent remediation.
Validates web inputs to reject script-related content that could produce XSS.
Output validation against expected content can reject or sanitize script content in generated web pages, reducing XSS exploitability.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Secure SDLC practices directly target introduction of XSS via coding standards/testing (mostly), yet the single broad outcome leaves many specific neutralization vectors unaddressed (partial).
Patching and EOL replacement can remediate known XSS instances in libraries or frameworks (partial) but do nothing to enforce input neutralization in application code (none).
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
A.5.6 only promotes membership in groups to improve knowledge, receive alerts, and share information; it performs no action that stops XSS exploitation (or even the underlying neutralization defect) and is a pure dependency for other controls per the owner's labeling rule.