CVE-2026-48948 in Joomla! CMS
Summary
by MITRE • 07/07/2026
An improper access check allows user to download vcard exports of com_contact contacts that are inaccessible.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/07/2026
This vulnerability represents a critical access control flaw that undermines the security of contact management systems within web applications. The issue manifests when users can bypass intended authorization mechanisms to retrieve vcard export files containing contact information that should be restricted or inaccessible to their current user role. Such a weakness directly violates fundamental security principles of least privilege and access control enforcement, allowing unauthorized data exposure through seemingly benign functionality.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability typically involves insufficient validation of user permissions during the vcard export process. When a user requests a contact export, the system should verify that the requesting user has appropriate authorization to access each individual contact record before generating and serving the export file. However, in vulnerable implementations, this access check either fails entirely or contains logical flaws that permit users to obtain contact information regardless of their actual permissions or role within the application.
This flaw operates at multiple levels within the application architecture, potentially affecting both frontend user interfaces and backend processing logic. The vulnerability can be exploited through direct manipulation of request parameters or by leveraging existing authenticated sessions to access restricted data sets. From an operational perspective, this represents a significant risk for organizations handling sensitive contact information, as it could expose personal data, business contacts, or confidential communication details that should remain protected within the system's access control framework.
The impact extends beyond simple unauthorized data access, potentially enabling further exploitation techniques such as enumeration attacks where attackers systematically discover valid contact records to build comprehensive datasets. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-285 which addresses improper authorization issues, and could be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1213 for data from information repositories. Organizations may face regulatory compliance violations under data protection frameworks such as gdpr or ccpa if sensitive personal information is exposed through such access control failures.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing robust access control checks at every level of the export process, including verification that users possess appropriate permissions before generating any contact export files. The system must enforce proper authorization checks for each individual contact record within the export set, ensuring that only contacts accessible to the requesting user are included in the vcard output. Additionally, logging and monitoring should be implemented to detect anomalous export activities that may indicate exploitation attempts.
Security measures should include input validation of export requests, implementation of role-based access controls specific to contact management functions, and regular security testing of access control mechanisms. The fix requires comprehensive review of all contact export functionality and enforcement of proper authorization checks before any data is retrieved or processed for export generation. Organizations should also consider implementing automated scanning tools that can detect similar access control issues across their application portfolios, particularly in areas where bulk data exports are supported.