# CVE-2024-3164: Missing authorization in dotCMS core

> Site admins can access system maintenance tools to view database credentials and download dumps due to missing authorization checks.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 1 Apr 2024
- **Updated:** 30 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-vhhq-fxg5-hvp8

## What is CVE-2024-3164?

CVE-2024-3164 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Dotcms Dotcms, published on 1 Apr 2024. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

In dotCMS dashboard, the Tools and Log Files tabs under System → Maintenance Portlet, which is and always has been an Admin portlet, is accessible to anyone with that portlet and not just to CMS Admins. Users that get site admin but not a system admin, should not have access to the System Maintenance → Tools portlet. This would share database username and password under Log Files and download DB Dump and other dotCMS Content under Tools. Nothing in the System → Maintenance should be displayed for users with site admin role. Only system admins must have access to System Maintenance.

OWASP Top 10 - A01) Broken Access Control

OWASP Top 10 - A04) Insecure Design

Weakness: CWE-284 (Improper Access Control)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-3164?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Dotcms Dotcms.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-3164?

No fix has been published for CVE-2024-3164 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2024-3164 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-3164 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-2024-3164 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-3164 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Dotcms Dotcms, published on 1 Apr 2024. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-3164 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-2024-3164/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-3164/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-3164
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-3164
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-3164

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-3164/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.