CVE-2025-48432 in Django
Summary
by MITRE • 06/05/2025
An issue was discovered in Django 5.2 before 5.2.3, 5.1 before 5.1.11, and 4.2 before 4.2.23. Internal HTTP response logging does not escape request.path, which allows remote attackers to potentially manipulate log output via crafted URLs. This may lead to log injection or forgery when logs are viewed in terminals or processed by external systems.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/16/2025
This vulnerability affects Django web applications across multiple versions including 5.2 before 5.2.3, 5.1 before 5.1.11, and 4.2 before 4.2.23, where internal HTTP response logging fails to properly escape the request.path parameter. The flaw resides in how Django handles logging of HTTP responses internally, specifically when processing and recording the path component of incoming requests. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious URLs that contain special characters or escape sequences which, when logged, can manipulate the structured output of application logs. This represents a classic log injection vulnerability where the attacker's input is not properly sanitized before being incorporated into log entries, potentially allowing them to inject malicious content into log files.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within Django's internal logging mechanisms. When Django processes HTTP requests and logs response information, it includes the request.path directly into log entries without proper sanitization of special characters that could alter log formatting or interpretation. This creates opportunities for attackers to inject control characters, escape sequences, or other malicious content that can be interpreted differently by log viewers or processing systems. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at the logging level rather than the application logic level, making it more subtle and potentially harder to detect through conventional security scanning approaches.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple logging manipulation, as it can affect multiple downstream systems that rely on properly formatted log data. When logs are viewed in terminal environments, attackers could potentially inject sequences that alter display output or even execute unintended commands in terminal emulators that do not properly sanitize input. Additionally, when log data is processed by external security tools, SIEM systems, or automated monitoring solutions, the injected content could cause false positives, data corruption, or even enable more sophisticated attacks where attackers manipulate log data to hide their activities or confuse security analysts. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-117, which describes improper output escaping in logging functions, and can be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1070.002 for indicator removal through log manipulation.
Organizations should immediately upgrade to the patched versions of Django where this vulnerability has been addressed through proper input sanitization of the request.path parameter in logging contexts. The recommended mitigation strategy involves implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding for all user-supplied data that may be included in log entries, particularly focusing on path components and URL parameters. System administrators should also review existing log processing pipelines to ensure that log parsers and viewers are not vulnerable to injection attacks from malformed log entries. Additional defensive measures include implementing log integrity checks, monitoring for unusual log patterns, and ensuring that log files are properly secured to prevent unauthorized modification or manipulation by attackers who might exploit this vulnerability to compromise log data integrity.