CakePHP up to 5.3.5 PHP File _getElementFileName filename control

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability classified as problematic has been found in CakePHP up to 4.5.10/4.6.3/5.1.6/5.2.12/5.3.5. Affected by this vulnerability is the function View::_getElementFileName of the component PHP File Handler. The manipulation leads to filename control. This vulnerability is traded as CVE-2026-48820. It is possible to initiate the attack remotely. There is no exploit available. It is recommended to upgrade the affected component.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability was found in CakePHP up to 4.5.10/4.6.3/5.1.6/5.2.12/5.3.5 and classified as problematic. This issue affects the function View::_getElementFileName of the component PHP File Handler. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a filename control vulnerability. Using CWE to declare the problem leads to CWE-98. The PHP application receives input from an upstream component, but it does not restrict or incorrectly restricts the input before its usage in "require," "include," or similar functions. Impacted is confidentiality. The summary by CVE is:

CakePHP is a rapid development framework for PHP. In versions 4.5.11 and earlier, 4.6.0 through 4.6.3, 5.0.0 through 5.1.6, 5.2.0 through 5.2.12, and 5.3.0 through 5.3.5, View::_getElementFileName() does not check that the resolved element path is within the application/plugin view template paths. When element names are created with specifically crafted user-supplied data this weakness can be leveraged to include other PHP files on the server. Patched releases are available in 5.3.6, 5.2.13, 5.1.7, 4.6.4, and 4.5.11.

It is possible to read the advisory at github.com. The identification of this vulnerability is CVE-2026-48820 since 05/22/2026. The exploitation is known to be difficult. The attack may be initiated remotely. No form of authentication is needed for a successful exploitation. Technical details of the vulnerability are known, but there is no available exploit.

Upgrading to version 4.5.11, 4.6.4, 5.1.7, 5.2.13 or 5.3.6 eliminates this vulnerability.

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Productinfo

Name

• CakePHP

Version

• 4.5.0
• 4.5.1
• 4.5.2
• 4.5.3
• 4.5.4
• 4.5.5
• 4.5.6
• 4.5.7
• 4.5.8
• 4.5.9
• 4.5.10
• 4.6.0
• 4.6.1
• 4.6.2
• 4.6.3
• 5.1.0
• 5.1.1
• 5.1.2
• 5.1.3
• 5.1.4
• 5.1.5
• 5.1.6
• 5.2.0
• 5.2.1
• 5.2.2
• 5.2.3
• 5.2.4
• 5.2.5
• 5.2.6
• 5.2.7
• 5.2.8
• 5.2.9
• 5.2.10
• 5.2.11
• 5.2.12
• 5.3.0
• 5.3.1
• 5.3.2
• 5.3.3
• 5.3.4
• 5.3.5

Website

• Product: https://github.com/cakephp/cakephp/

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