How severe is CVE-2017-15717?

CVE-2017-15717 has a CVSS score of 6.1/10, rated MEDIUM. Review your exposure and patch according to your risk tolerance.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2017-15717?

CVE-2017-15717 affects the following packages: org.apache.sling:org.apache.sling.xss (Maven), org.apache.sling:org.apache.sling.xss.compat (Maven). Ecosystems affected: Maven.

How do I fix CVE-2017-15717?

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.

How do I detect CVE-2017-15717 in my Maven dependencies?

Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.apache.sling:org.apache.sling.xss, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.

How do I mitigate CVE-2017-15717 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

Escape or sanitise the affected output on the server side rather than relying on client-side filtering, and add a Content-Security-Policy that blocks inline script execution so injected markup cannot run even if it reaches the page.

Is CVE-2017-15717 actively exploited in the wild?

No public exploit code has been indexed for CVE-2017-15717 yet. This does not mean the vulnerability cannot be exploited — absence of public exploits does not imply safety. Apply the recommended fix and use O3 Security to monitor your exposure.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2017-15717?

CVE-2017-15717 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 2.9%, placing it in the 87th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. This score indicates relatively lower exploitation probability, though the CVSS severity should still guide your patching priority.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2017-15717?

CVE-2017-15717 is classified as Cross-site Scripting (XSS) (CWE-79). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation. This is a high-impact weakness class that often enables remote code execution or data exposure.

When was CVE-2017-15717 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2017-15717 was published on January 10, 2018 and was last updated on October 24, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

☕

☕ Maven

Not in CISA KEV

MEDIUM severity

CVE-2017-15717 — org.apache.sling.xss

MEDIUM

CVE-2017-15717 is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.1) Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in org.apache.sling:org.apache.sling.xss. A fix is available for org.apache.sling:org.apache.sling.xss — see the affected versions and patch details below.

Cross-site Scripting in Apache Sling XSS Protection API

Also known asGHSA-7mfw-43c4-45mq

Published

Jan 10, 2018

Updated

Oct 24, 2026

Affected

2 pkgs

Patched

1 / 2

Exploits

None indexed

Exploitation data as of Nov 6, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

2.9%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs87th percentile — riskier than 87% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.

How urgent is this, really

Where this sits among everything scored

Real-World Exposure

2 pkgs affected

☕org.apache.sling:org.apache.sling.xss☕org.apache.sling:org.apache.sling.xss.compat

Real-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

2 total 1 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
☕Maven	`org.apache.sling:org.apache.sling.xss`	≥ 1.0.4&&< 2.0.4	2.0.4`org.apache.sling:org.apache.sling.xss:2.0.4`
☕Maven	`org.apache.sling:org.apache.sling.xss.compat`	all versions	No fix

Affected Products

2 products · 3 configurations

Application

sling xss protection apiapache

> 1.0.4 && ≤ 1.0.18

1 version

2.0.0

Application

sling xss protection api compatapache

1 version

1.1.0

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.apache.sling:org.apache.sling.xss, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
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
Escape or sanitise the affected output on the server side rather than relying on client-side filtering, and add a Content-Security-Policy that blocks inline script execution so injected markup cannot run even if it reaches the page.

Frequently Asked Questions

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is CVE-2017-15717 in your dependencies?

Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.

Scan my dependencies How O3 SCA works

CVSS Score

6.1/10CVSS v3 base

Vector breakdown

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

None

User Interaction

Required

Scope

Changed

Confidentiality

Low

Integrity

Low

Availability

None

Raw vector

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

CWE Classification

CWE-79Cross-site Scripting (XSS)

Weaponization

No Nuclei template, Metasploit module or public proof-of-concept found.

Timeline

Disclosed

Jan 10, 2018

Last updated

Oct 24, 2026

Identifiers

CVE-2017-15717

GHSA-7mfw-43c4-45mq

References

Advisorys.apache.org · CVE 2017 15717 Advisorynvd.nist.gov · CVE 2017 15717

Related vulnerabilities

Also affects org.apache.sling.xss

This CVE is medium severity; 2 of 2 other CVEs affecting org.apache.sling.xss are rated as high or higher (top: critical).

CVE-2016-6798CVE-2016-5394

Same weakness: CWE-79

This CVE is medium severity; 6 of 6 other CVEs with CWE-79 are rated as high or higher (top: critical).

CVE-2026-88986CVE-2026-63197CVE-2026-55649CVE-2026-113787CVE-2026-44267CVE-2026-96632Browse all CWE-79

Provenance

Sources

OSV.devNVDFIRST.org (EPSS)

Last verifiedOct 24, 2026