CVE-2025-32427 in formie
Summary
by MITRE • 04/11/2025
Formie is a Craft CMS plugin for creating forms. Prior to 2.1.44, when importing a form from JSON, if the field label or handle contained malicious content, the output wasn't correctly escaped when viewing a preview of what was to be imported. As imports are undertaking primarily by users who have themselves exported the form from one environment to another, and would require direct manipulation of the JSON export, this is marked as moderate. This vulnerability will not occur unless someone deliberately tampers with the export. This vulnerability is fixed in 2.1.44.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/17/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-32427 affects Formie, a popular Craft CMS plugin designed for form creation and management. This security flaw exists in versions prior to 2.1.44 and specifically targets the form import functionality when processing JSON exports. The issue stems from inadequate output escaping mechanisms during the preview phase of form imports, creating potential security risks when malicious content is embedded within field labels or handles within the JSON structure. The vulnerability represents a cross-site scripting risk where improperly escaped content could execute malicious scripts in the context of a user's browser when viewing import previews.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs during the JSON import process where Formie fails to properly sanitize or escape user-supplied content from field labels and handles before rendering them in the preview interface. This weakness falls under CWE-79 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, which specifically addresses the failure to properly escape output in web applications. The vulnerability requires that an attacker possess the ability to manipulate JSON export files and that the target user would need to import these tampered files, making the attack vector somewhat indirect but still potentially exploitable in environments where users might not thoroughly validate imported content.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is classified as moderate due to the specific conditions required for exploitation. While the system does not automatically execute malicious code, the preview functionality could potentially serve as a vector for executing malicious scripts if an attacker successfully injects harmful content into the JSON export. This risk is particularly concerning in collaborative environments where team members might import forms from shared sources without proper validation. The vulnerability demonstrates how seemingly benign functionality can become a security concern when proper input sanitization is not implemented during preview generation phases.
The fix implemented in version 2.1.44 addresses the core issue by ensuring that all field labels and handles are properly escaped before being rendered in the import preview interface. This mitigation aligns with security best practices for preventing cross-site scripting attacks and follows the principle of least privilege in output handling. Organizations should prioritize updating to version 2.1.44 or later to eliminate this vulnerability. The remediation process involves implementing proper HTML escaping mechanisms for all user-supplied content that appears in web interfaces, particularly during preview operations. Security teams should also consider implementing additional validation checks for JSON imports and establishing secure development practices that emphasize input sanitization at all stages of data processing. This vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining security hygiene even in specialized plugin functionality and underscores the necessity of proper output encoding in all user-facing interfaces.