CVE-2017-15717
MEDIUMCVE-2017-15717 is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.1) Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in org.apache.sling:org.apache.sling.xss. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2017-15717 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Cross-site Scripting in Apache Sling XSS Protection API
Real-World Exposure
org.apache.sling:org.apache.sling.xss☕org.apache.sling:org.apache.sling.xss.compatReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Maven packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
A flaw in the way URLs are escaped and encoded in the org.apache.sling.xss.impl.XSSAPIImpl#getValidHref and org.apache.sling.xss.impl.XSSFilterImpl#isValidHref allows special crafted URLs to pass as valid, although they carry XSS payloads. The affected versions are Apache Sling XSS Protection API 1.0.4 to 1.0.18, Apache Sling XSS Protection API Compat 1.1.0 and Apache Sling XSS Protection API 2.0.0.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.apache.sling:org.apache.sling.xss | ≥ 1.0.4&&< 2.0.4 | 2.0.4 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.sling:org.apache.sling.xss.compat | all versions | No fix |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.apache.sling:org.apache.sling.xss. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update org.apache.sling:org.apache.sling.xss to 2.0.4 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2017-15717 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether CVE-2017-15717 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to CVE-2017-15717. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2017-15717 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2017-15717 across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.