Authenticated remote code execution in October CMS

CVE-2022-21705 → View on GitHub ↗ View on CVE.org ↗ View on NVD ↗

Description

Impact

An authenticated user with the permissions to create, modify and delete website pages can exploit this vulnerability to bypass cms.safe_mode / cms.enableSafeMode in order to execute arbitrary code.

  • This issue only affects admin panels that rely on safe mode and restricted permissions.
  • To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker must first have access to the backend area.

Patches

The issue has been patched in Build 474 (v1.0.474) and v1.1.10.

Workarounds

Apply https://github.com/octobercms/library/commit/c393c5ce9ca2c5acc3ed6c9bb0dab5ffd61965fe to your installation manually if unable to upgrade to Build 474 or v1.1.10.

References

Credits to:
- David Miller

For more information

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Email us at [email protected]

Basic information

Type
reviewed
Severity
high
Advisory on GitHub
Open advisory ↗
Repository advisory
Open repository advisory ↗
Source code
Browse source ↗
Published (advisory)
2022-02-23 21:08:44 UTC
Updated
2023-02-03 05:06:26 UTC
GitHub reviewed
2022-02-23 21:08:44 UTC
NVD published
2022-02-23

EPSS Score

Score Percentile
76.57% 98.93%

CVSS Scores

Base score Version Severity Vector
7.2 3.1 —
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:H)
They need powerful rights—admin, root, or similar—before this pays off.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.

Identifiers

Type Value
GHSA GHSA-79jw-2f46-wv22 ↗
CVE CVE-2022-21705 ↗

CWEs

CWE id Name
CWE-74 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')

Credits

  • cydave (analyst)

Affected packages (3)

Vulnerable version ranges and first patched releases as published by GitHub.

Ecosystem Package Vulnerable range First patched Vulnerable functions
composer october/system < 1.0.474 1.0.474 —
composer october/system >= 1.1.0, < 1.1.10 1.1.10 —
composer october/system >= 2.0.0, < 2.1.27 2.1.27 —

References

cvelogic Threat Intelligence