CVE-2026-118568 in Content Sync Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 10/30/2026
Insecure Storage of Sensitive Information vulnerability in Drupal Content Sync (content-sync.io) allows Retrieve Embedded Sensitive Data. This issue affects Content Sync (content-sync.io) versions: from 0.0.0 to 3.2.2.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/30/2026
The identified vulnerability represents a critical failure in data protection mechanisms within the Drupal module known as Content Sync, specifically affecting version ranges from initial release up through version 3.2.2. This flaw is categorized under CWE-312, which defines insecure storage of sensitive information, and aligns with MITRE ATT&CK technique T1552.004, indicating unauthorized access to credentials or private keys stored on a local system. The core technical issue stems from the module's handling of configuration data, API tokens, authentication secrets, or other high-value assets that are persisted in plaintext rather than being encrypted using robust cryptographic standards such as AES-256-GCM or protected via operating-system-level key management services like Windows DPAPI or Linux libsecret. In many implementations of this nature, developers may mistakenly store sensitive parameters directly within the Drupal database tables associated with configuration entities without applying additional encryption layers, assuming that access to the web server is sufficient protection. However, this assumption fails when an attacker gains read access to the file system through a separate vulnerability such as remote code execution via another module, or when they exploit misconfigured permissions on shared hosting environments where multiple tenants reside on the same infrastructure.
The operational impact of this insecure storage mechanism allows for the retrieval of embedded sensitive data by any actor who can achieve local file inclusion or database read access. Once an attacker obtains these plaintext credentials, they can bypass authentication controls entirely to gain administrative privileges over the Drupal instance. This escalation is particularly dangerous because Content Sync often manages synchronization with external systems such as other CMS instances, APIs, or third-party services. Compromising these stored tokens grants the attacker not only control over the local site but also potential lateral movement into connected ecosystems. For example, if an API key for a cloud storage service like AWS S3 is exposed in plaintext within the module's configuration files, the attacker can exfiltrate entire datasets or inject malicious content through those trusted channels. This undermines the integrity and confidentiality of the broader digital infrastructure dependent on these integrations, leading to potential data breaches, regulatory non-compliance with standards such as GDPR or HIPAA, and significant reputational damage for the organization hosting the vulnerable site.
Mitigation strategies must address both immediate remediation and long-term architectural improvements. The most urgent action is to upgrade Content Sync to a version greater than 3.2.2 where this vulnerability has been patched by implementing proper encryption routines for all sensitive configuration fields. Until an update can be applied, administrators should manually audit the database tables associated with content-sync.io configurations using SQL queries to identify any plaintext secrets and immediately rotate those credentials in their respective external services. It is imperative to ensure that file permissions on the Drupal files directory are set strictly to prevent unauthorized read access by web server processes or other users sharing the environment. Furthermore, organizations should adopt a principle of least privilege for database accounts used by the application, ensuring that even if an SQL injection vulnerability exists elsewhere in the site, it cannot easily dump configuration tables containing secrets. Long-term resilience requires integrating with external secret management solutions such as HashiCorp Vault or AWS Secrets Manager rather than storing credentials directly within the CMS codebase or database, thereby isolating sensitive data from the application layer and reducing the attack surface for credential theft attacks.