CVE-2026-113648 in ApostropheCMS
Summary
by MITRE • 10/20/2026
ApostropheCMS is an open-source Node.js content management system. Prior to 3.7.1 of the import-export module, the API endpoint POST /api/v1/@apostrophecms/import-export/clean-export in @apostrophecms/import-export lacks authentication and authorization checks. Any client—including unauthenticated anonymous users who have obtained the standard CSRF cookie from visiting the site—can directly invoke this route and trigger the underlying self.cleanExport(req) method. This issue is fixed in version 3.7.1.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/20/2026
ApostropheCMS, a widely utilized open-source content management system built on Node.js, contains a critical security flaw within its import-export module prior to version 3.7.1. The vulnerability resides specifically in the API endpoint POST /api/v1/@apostrophecms/import-export/clean-export. This endpoint is designed to process and clean exported data but suffers from a fundamental lack of authentication and authorization checks. In secure web application architecture, any operation that modifies state or accesses sensitive internal logic must verify the identity of the requester and ensure they possess the necessary permissions to perform such actions. The absence of these controls in this specific API route creates an unauthorized access vector that can be exploited by external actors.
The technical nature of this flaw allows any client with network connectivity to the ApostropheCMS instance to invoke the clean-export functionality without providing valid credentials. While the vulnerability description notes that unauthenticated anonymous users might need to obtain a standard CSRF cookie, in many modern web applications and CMS configurations, session cookies or authentication tokens are either automatically included by browsers for same-origin requests or can be manipulated if cross-site request forgery protections are not strictly enforced at the application logic level. By directly invoking this route, an attacker triggers the underlying self.cleanExport(req) method. This method is responsible for processing export data, which may involve reading from or writing to internal storage systems, database records, or file structures associated with content management operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant because it allows unauthenticated users to interfere with the integrity and availability of CMS data. Depending on how the clean-export function processes input, an attacker could potentially cause denial of service by triggering resource-intensive export cleaning routines repeatedly, leading to server degradation or crash. Furthermore, if the underlying implementation interacts with file systems or databases in a way that is not fully sanitized against path traversal or injection attacks within the context of export processing, it could lead to data leakage or corruption. The ability to trigger administrative-level functions without proper privilege verification undermines the core security model of the CMS, potentially exposing sensitive content metadata or configuration details stored during the import-export lifecycle.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-862, which describes Missing Authorization, as well as CWE-306, where a critical step in authentication is skipped. From an offensive perspective, this flaw maps to MITRE ATT&CK techniques related to Initial Access and potentially Persistence if the export mechanism can be abused to plant malicious content or scripts within the CMS structure. The lack of access control on an API endpoint that performs state-changing operations represents a severe deviation from secure coding practices recommended by OWASP for RESTful APIs, which mandate strict enforcement of authentication and authorization policies on all endpoints regardless of their perceived sensitivity.
To mitigate this risk, organizations running ApostropheCMS must immediately upgrade to version 3.7.1 or later, where the developers have implemented proper access controls for the import-export module. Until an upgrade is feasible, administrators should consider network-level mitigations such as restricting direct API access through web application firewalls that can block requests lacking valid authentication headers or tokens. Additionally, reviewing server configurations to ensure that sensitive administrative endpoints are not exposed directly to untrusted networks and implementing strict rate limiting on API routes can help reduce the attack surface. Regular security audits of custom modules and third-party plugins within the CMS ecosystem are also recommended to identify similar patterns of missing authorization checks in other parts of the application logic.