# CVE-2015-2317: Django cross-site scripting (XSS) attack via user-supplied redirect URLs

> Remote attackers can execute cross-site scripting attacks via malicious URLs due to improper validation in Django's URL safety check.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.3 (`AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 25 Mar 2015
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2015-2317, DSA-3204-1, GHSA-7fq8-4pv5-5w5c, PYSEC-2015-9, UBUNTU-CVE-2015-2317

## What is CVE-2015-2317?

CVE-2015-2317 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in Canonical Ubuntu Linux, published on 25 Mar 2015. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

The utils.http.is_safe_url function in Django before 1.4.20, 1.5.x, 1.6.x before 1.6.11, 1.7.x before 1.7.7, and 1.8.x before 1.8c1 does not properly validate URLs, which allows remote attackers to conduct cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks via a control character in a URL, as demonstrated by a \x08javascript: URL.

Weakness: CWE-79 (Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2015-2317?

9 open source packages ship an affected version, including django and Django. It affects 6 products.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `django` | PyPI | All versions | 1.4.20, 1.6.11, 1.7.7, 1.8c1 |
| `django` | PyPI | All versions | 1.4.20 |
| `django` | PyPI | From 1.5 | 1.6.11 |
| `django` | PyPI | From 1.7 | 1.7.7 |
| `django` | PyPI | From 1.8a1 | 1.8c1 |
| `Django` | PyPI | All versions | 1.4.20 |
| `Django` | PyPI | From 1.5 | 1.6.11 |
| `Django` | PyPI | From 1.7 | 1.7.7 |
| `Django` | PyPI | From 1.8a1 | 1.8c1 |

Products: Canonical Ubuntu Linux, Debian Debian Linux, Djangoproject Django, Fedoraproject Fedora, Opensuse Opensuse, Oracle Solaris.

## How do I fix CVE-2015-2317?

Upgrade django to a fixed version for your release line: 1.4.20, 1.6.11, 1.7.7 or 1.8c1.

## Is CVE-2015-2317 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2015-2317 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Canonical Ubuntu Linux

- [CVE-2020-11651](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-11651/): SaltStack Salt Authentication Bypass (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2020-7247](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-7247/): OpenSMTPD Remote Code Execution (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2019-16928](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-16928/): Exim Out-of-bounds Write (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2018-6789](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-6789/): Exim Buffer Overflow (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2015-2590](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-2590/): Oracle Java SE and Java SE Embedded Remote Code Execution (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2015-2317 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2015-2317 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in Canonical Ubuntu Linux, published on 25 Mar 2015. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2015-2317 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- django (PyPI): affected all versions; fixed in 1.4.20, 1.6.11, 1.7.7, 1.8c1
- django (PyPI): affected all versions; fixed in 1.4.20
- django (PyPI): affected from 1.5; fixed in 1.6.11
- django (PyPI): affected from 1.7; fixed in 1.7.7
- django (PyPI): affected from 1.8a1; fixed in 1.8c1
- Django (PyPI): affected all versions; fixed in 1.4.20
- Django (PyPI): affected from 1.5; fixed in 1.6.11
- Django (PyPI): affected from 1.7; fixed in 1.7.7
- Django (PyPI): affected from 1.8a1; fixed in 1.8c1

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-2317/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-2317/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2015-2317
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-2317
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2015-2317

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-2317/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.