CVE-2019-14280 in Craft
Summary
by MITRE
In some circumstances, Craft 2 before 2.7.10 and 3 before 3.2.6 wasn't stripping EXIF data from user-uploaded images when it was configured to do so, potentially exposing personal/geolocation data to the public.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/17/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-14280 represents a critical data exposure issue within the Craft CMS content management system affecting both version 2 and version 3 of the platform. This flaw emerged from the improper handling of metadata within user-uploaded image files, specifically failing to strip EXIF data that contains sensitive information. The vulnerability was particularly concerning because it directly contradicted the intended security configuration of the CMS, which was designed to automatically remove such metadata from uploaded files to prevent unauthorized data leakage. Craft CMS users who configured their systems to strip EXIF data were left with a false sense of security as the system failed to properly execute this security measure.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the image processing pipeline where Craft CMS was not correctly implementing the metadata removal functionality. When users configured the CMS to strip EXIF data from uploaded images, the system was supposed to sanitize the files by removing all embedded metadata including geolocation coordinates, camera information, timestamps, and other personal identifiers. However, the flaw allowed this sanitization process to be bypassed under certain circumstances, leaving the original EXIF data intact within the uploaded files. This failure typically occurred during the file upload and processing workflow where the system's metadata stripping function was either not invoked or not properly executed, resulting in the preservation of potentially sensitive information within the image files.
The operational impact of CVE-2019-14280 extends beyond simple privacy concerns to encompass serious data protection and compliance implications. The exposure of geolocation data from images could reveal sensitive information about user locations, potentially enabling tracking of individuals or revealing private locations such as homes, workplaces, or personal gathering places. Additionally, camera model information, timestamps, and other metadata could be used for forensic analysis or to identify users through device fingerprinting. This vulnerability directly violates several security principles including the principle of least privilege and data minimization, as it exposes more information than necessary for the intended functionality of the CMS. The issue particularly affects websites that allow user-generated content, such as social media platforms, news sites, or community forums where users upload personal photographs.
Organizations using Craft CMS versions prior to the patched releases faced significant risk of data exposure, with potential regulatory implications under privacy laws such as GDPR, CCPA, and other data protection frameworks that mandate proper handling of personal information. The vulnerability could be exploited by malicious actors to gather intelligence about users, potentially enabling targeted attacks or social engineering operations. Security professionals should note that this issue aligns with CWE-200 (Information Exposure) and represents a failure in proper input validation and sanitization. From an attack perspective, this vulnerability maps to ATT&CK technique T1566 (Phishing with Social Engineering) as attackers could use the exposed geolocation data to craft more convincing phishing campaigns or perform reconnaissance. The remediation process requires immediate upgrade to Craft CMS versions 2.7.10 or 3.2.6 respectively, along with comprehensive review of existing uploaded content to ensure no sensitive data remains exposed. Additionally, organizations should implement automated scanning procedures to verify that metadata stripping is functioning correctly and consider implementing additional security controls such as mandatory file type validation and content inspection for uploaded media.