How severe is CVE-2021-32649?

CVE-2021-32649 has a CVSS score of 8.8/10, rated HIGH. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2021-32649?

CVE-2021-32649 affects the following packages: october/system (Packagist), october/system (Packagist). Ecosystems affected: Packagist.

How do I fix CVE-2021-32649?

Update october/system to 1.1.6 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2021-32649 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2021-32649 in my Packagist dependencies?

Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for october/system, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.

How do I mitigate CVE-2021-32649 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

Stop passing untrusted input into the interpreter or shell: call the affected binary with an argument array rather than a composed command string, reject anything outside a strict allowlist of expected values, and run the component under an account that cannot reach beyond the work it legitimately does.

Is CVE-2021-32649 actively exploited in the wild?

No public exploit code has been indexed for CVE-2021-32649 yet. This does not mean the vulnerability cannot be exploited — absence of public exploits does not imply safety. Apply the recommended fix and use O3 Security to monitor your exposure.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2021-32649?

CVE-2021-32649 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 1.3%, placing it in the 70th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. This score indicates relatively lower exploitation probability, though the CVSS severity should still guide your patching priority.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2021-32649?

CVE-2021-32649 is classified as CWE-74 (CWE-74), Code Injection (CWE-94). These weakness types describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation. This is a high-impact weakness class that often enables remote code execution or data exposure.

When was CVE-2021-32649 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2021-32649 was published on January 14, 2022 and was last updated on September 22, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

🐘

🐘 Packagist

Not in CISA KEV

HIGH severity

CVE-2021-32649 — system

HIGHFix: octobercms/october@167b592

CVE-2021-32649 is a high-severity (CVSS 8.8) CWE-74 vulnerability in october/system. A fix is available for october/system — see the affected versions and patch details below.

October/System authenticated file write leads to remote code execution

Also known asGHSA-wv23-pfj7-2mjj

Published

Jan 14, 2022

Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Affected

2 pkgs

Patched

2 / 2

Exploits

None indexed

Exploitation data as of Oct 2, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

Exploitation Status

No confirmed exploitation observed yet

A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.

Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2021-32649.

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

1.3%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk+0.84%

Lower risk than most CVEs70th percentile — riskier than 70% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.

How urgent is this, really

CVE-2021-32649 by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.

Where this sits among everything scored

Of 385,738 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.

Real-World Exposure

2 pkgs affected

🐘october/system🐘october/system

Real-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Packagist packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.

Description

Impact

Assuming an attacker with "create, modify and delete website pages" privileges in the backend is able to execute PHP code by running specially crafted Twig code in the template markup.

Patches

Issue has been patched in Build 473 and v1.1.6

Workarounds

Apply https://github.com/octobercms/october/commit/167b592eed291ae1563c8fcc5b9b34a03a300f26 to your installation manually if you are unable to upgrade.

References

Credits to: • David Miller

For more information

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:

Email us at [email protected]

Affected Packages

2 total 2 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
🐘Packagist	`october/system`	≥ 1.1.0&&< 1.1.6	1.1.6`composer require october/system:^1.1.6`
🐘Packagist	`october/system`	all versions	1.0.473`composer require october/system:^1.0.473`

Affected Products

1 product · 2 configurations

Application

octoberoctobercms

≥ 1.1.0 && < 1.1.6

range

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for october/system, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update october/system to 1.1.6 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2021-32649 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Stop passing untrusted input into the interpreter or shell: call the affected binary with an argument array rather than a composed command string, reject anything outside a strict allowlist of expected values, and run the component under an account that cannot reach beyond the work it legitimately does.

Frequently Asked Questions

### Impact Assuming an attacker with "create, modify and delete website pages" privileges in the backend is able to execute PHP code by running specially crafted Twig code in the template markup. ### Patches Issue has been patched in Build 473 and v1.1.6 ### Workarounds Apply https://github.com/octobercms/october/commit/167b592eed291ae1563c8fcc5b9b34a03a300f26 to your installation manually if you are unable to upgrade. ### References Credits to: • David Miller ### For more information If you have any questions or comments about this advisory: * Email us at [[email protected]](mailto