How severe is CVE-2021-32650?

CVE-2021-32650 has a CVSS score of 8.8/10, rated HIGH. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2021-32650?

CVE-2021-32650 affects the following packages: october/system (Packagist), october/system (Packagist). Ecosystems affected: Packagist.

How do I fix CVE-2021-32650?

Update october/system to 1.1.6 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2021-32650 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2021-32650 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-2021-32650 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-2021-32650 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 1 known exploit references for CVE-2021-32650, including 1 in-the-wild exploitation observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2021-32650?

CVE-2021-32650 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 2.1%, placing it in the 81th 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-2021-32650?

CVE-2021-32650 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-2021-32650 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2021-32650 was published on January 14, 2022 and was last updated on August 7, 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-2021-32650 — system

HIGHFix: octobercms/october@167b592

CVE-2021-32650 is a high-severity (CVSS 8.8) CWE-74 vulnerability in october/system. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for october/system — see the affected versions and patch details below.

october/system arbitrary code execution

Also known asGHSA-5hfj-r725-wpc4

Published

Jan 14, 2022

Updated

Aug 7, 2026

Affected

2 pkgs

Patched

2 / 2

Exploits

1 known

Exploitation data as of Oct 3, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

Exploitation Status

Proof-of-concept exploit code exists

CISA’s SSVC triage found public proof-of-concept exploit code for this CVE, though no confirmed active exploitation.
A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.

Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2021-32650.

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

2.1%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs81th percentile — riskier than 81% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

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

How urgent is this, really

CVE-2021-32650 by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.

Where this sits among everything scored

Of 385,386 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 access to the backend is able to execute PHP code by using the theme import feature. This will bypass the safe mode feature that prevents PHP execution in the CMS templates.

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: • Sushi Yushi

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

2 versions

1.0.4721.1.5

Exploits & PoCs

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.

October CMS is a self-hosted content management system (CMS) platform ba…

github.comNVDJan 2022

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-2021-32650 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 access to the backend is able to execute PHP code by using the theme import feature. This will bypass the safe mode feature that prevents PHP execution in the CMS templates. ### 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: • Sushi Yushi ### For more information If you have any questions or comments about this advisory: * Email us at [hello@octoberc