CVE‑2018‑15811: Inadequate Encryption Strength in DotNetNuke (DNN) Web CMS
What It Is – DotNetNuke (DNN) uses a weak encryption algorithm to protect input parameters, allowing an attacker to recover or tamper with data that should be confidential.
Exploitability – Publicly disclosed; no public exploit code, but the flaw is trivial to verify and can be leveraged by a remote attacker with knowledge of the protected parameters. CVSS v3.1 base score ≈ 5.3 (Medium).
Affected Products – DotNetNuke (DNN) versions prior to the vendor‑issued patch (see CISA KEV advisory).
Why It Matters for Trust & Control Assurance
- Demonstrates a gap in the cryptographic controls control objective – a single control that satisfies many frameworks (e.g., NIST CSF 2.0, ISO 27001, PCI DSS).
- Weak encryption undermines the evidentiary trail auditors expect for data‑in‑transit and data‑at‑rest protection, eroding confidence in a vendor’s security posture.
- Continuous control‑mapping and evidence collection can surface such gaps early, allowing organizations to remediate before a breach or audit finding.
Recommended Actions
- Verify your DNN version against the vendor’s patch list; apply the security update immediately.
- Review all custom modules that rely on the vulnerable encryption routine and replace with industry‑standard algorithms (AES‑256 GCM or equivalent).
- Update your control‑mapping inventory to flag “cryptographic strength” as a control area; capture remediation evidence for audit readiness.
- Conduct a targeted penetration test on any public‑facing DNN instances to confirm the weakness is fully mitigated.
Source: CISA KEV – CVE‑2018‑15811