# CVE-2016-3972: Directory traversal vulnerability in the dotTailLogServlet in dotCMS before 3.5.1 allows remote authenticated administrators to read arbitrary files via a ..


- **Severity:** Low 2.7 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 18 Apr 2016
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-2237-fvgv-wpg8

## What is CVE-2016-3972?

CVE-2016-3972 is a low-severity vulnerability in Dotcms Dotcms, published on 18 Apr 2016. 

### Official description

Directory traversal vulnerability in the dotTailLogServlet in dotCMS before 3.5.1 allows remote authenticated administrators to read arbitrary files via a .. (dot dot) in the fileName parameter.

Weakness: CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2016-3972?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Dotcms Dotcms.

## How do I fix CVE-2016-3972?

No fix has been published for CVE-2016-3972 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2016-3972 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-3972 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Dotcms Dotcms

- [CVE-2022-26352](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-26352/): dotCMS Unrestricted Upload of File (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2020-19138](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-19138/): File upload in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2020-6754](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-6754/): Path traversal in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2017-5344](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-5344/): SQL injection in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2016-2355](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-2355/): SQL injection in n/a (critical 9.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2016-3972 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2016-3972 is a low-severity vulnerability in Dotcms Dotcms, published on 18 Apr 2016. 
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-3972 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Dotcms Dotcms. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

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-2016-3972/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-3972/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-3972
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-3972
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2016-3972

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-3972/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.