CVE-2024-25828 in CmsEasy
Summary
by MITRE • 02/22/2024
cmseasy V7.7.7.9 has an arbitrary file deletion vulnerability in lib/admin/template_admin.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/03/2025
The cmseasy content management system version 7.7.7.9 contains a critical arbitrary file deletion vulnerability located within the lib/admin/template_admin.php file. This vulnerability represents a severe security flaw that allows authenticated attackers with administrative privileges to delete arbitrary files on the target system. The issue stems from insufficient input validation and improper access controls within the template administration module, which processes user-supplied file paths without adequate sanitization. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-22 as "Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory" and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1485 which covers "Data Destruction" through unauthorized file deletion operations.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires an attacker to possess valid administrative credentials, as the vulnerability is not publicly accessible. However, the impact remains significant since the attacker can leverage the compromised administrative account to delete critical system files, configuration files, or even the entire application directory structure. The flaw occurs when the system processes file deletion requests through the template_admin.php script without proper validation of the file paths provided by the user. This allows an attacker to craft malicious requests that target files outside of the intended directory scope, potentially leading to complete system compromise.
Operationally, this vulnerability poses substantial risks to organizations using cmseasy V7.7.7.9 as their content management platform. The arbitrary file deletion capability can be leveraged to remove critical application components, database configuration files, or even system binaries that would require complete system reinstallation to restore. Attackers may use this vulnerability to disable the CMS entirely, making the website inaccessible to legitimate users while maintaining their access to the compromised system. The impact extends beyond simple data loss, as the deletion of configuration files could result in cascading failures throughout the web application infrastructure. Organizations with this vulnerability exposed face potential service disruption, data integrity compromise, and increased recovery costs.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patching of the cmseasy application to version 7.7.7.10 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for the arbitrary file deletion flaw. System administrators should also implement additional security controls including regular access reviews to ensure only authorized personnel maintain administrative privileges, network segmentation to limit access to administrative interfaces, and monitoring of file system operations for suspicious deletion activities. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and access control mechanisms, reinforcing the principles outlined in the OWASP Top Ten 2021 under A03:2021 - Injection and A04:2021 - Insecure Design. Organizations should also consider implementing automated security scanning tools to identify similar vulnerabilities in their web applications and ensure that all administrative interfaces properly validate and sanitize all user inputs before processing file system operations.