# CVE-2025-8311: SQL injection in dotCMS Cloud Services (dCS)

> Authenticated attackers can exploit SQL injection in dotCMS to extract database data, escalate privileges, or cause denial of service.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.4 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 4 Sep 2025
- **Updated:** 11 Sep 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-9qw9-jx9r-5rcc

## What is CVE-2025-8311?

CVE-2025-8311 is a critical SQL injection vulnerability in dotCMS Cloud Services (dCS), published on 4 Sep 2025. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

dotCMS versions 24.03.22 and after, identified a Boolean-based blind SQLi vulnerability in the /api/v1/contenttype endpoint. This endpoint uses the sites query parameter, which accepts a comma-separated list of site identifiers or keys.

The vulnerability was triggered via the sites parameter, which was directly concatenated into a SQL query without proper sanitization. 

Exploitation allowed an authenticated attacker with low privileges to extract data from database, perform privilege escalation, or trigger denial-of-service conditions. 

The vulnerability was verified using tools such as SQLMap and confirmed to allow full database exfiltration and potential denial-of-service conditions via crafted payloads.

The vulnerability is fixed in the following versions of dotCMS stack: 25.08.14 / 25.07.10-1v2 LTS / 24.12.27v10 LTS / 24.04.24v21 LTS

Weakness: CWE-89 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-8311?


## How do I fix CVE-2025-8311?

No fix has been published for CVE-2025-8311 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2025-8311 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-8311 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- dotCMS 25.07.02-1 - Authenticated Blind SQL Injection (exploitdb)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-8311 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-8311 is a critical SQL injection vulnerability in dotCMS Cloud Services (dCS), published on 4 Sep 2025. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-8311 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: dotCMS Cloud Services (dCS). 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-2025-8311/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-8311/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-8311
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-8311
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-8311

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-8311/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.