GHSA-68jx-f42c-7599 — typo3/cms-backend
Fix: TYPO3/typo3@4a75e86GHSA-68jx-f42c-7599 is a CWE-346 vulnerability in typo3/cms-backend. A fix is available for typo3/cms-backend — see the affected versions and patch details below.
TYPO3 CMS - Broken Access Control in Backend and Install Tool
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 GHSA-68jx-f42c-7599.
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.
Real-World Exposure
typo3/cms-backend🐘typo3/cms-coreReal-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
Problem
The referrer enforcement introduced with TYPO3-CORE-SA-2020-006 (CVE-2020-11069) became ineffective in TYPO3 v13.0, where TYPO3 CMS started serving the backend and Admin Tool applications from the site's main entry script instead of the dedicated typo3/ directory.
Whether a request originated from the backend or Install Tool itself was determined by comparing the referrer against the directory of the entry script, which since then is the site root. As a consequence, requests originating from any script running on one of the TYPO3 instance's own domains, such as a frontend page, were accepted by backend routes and Install Tool endpoints.
Attackers able to execute JavaScript on one of those domains, for instance by exploiting a cross-site scripting vulnerability, could invoke these endpoints via Fetch/XHR with the privileges of an authenticated victim's user session.
Solution
Update to TYPO3 versions 13.4.34 LTS, 14.3.6 LTS that fix the problem described.
Credits
Thanks to Hổ Cao Từ for reporting this issue, and to TYPO3 core & security team member Benjamin Franzke for fixing it.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐘Packagist | typo3/cms-backend | ≥ 13.0.0&&< 13.4.34 | 13.4.34composer require typo3/cms-backend:^13.4.34 |
| 🐘Packagist | typo3/cms-core | ≥ 14.0.0&&< 14.3.6 | 14.3.6composer require typo3/cms-core:^14.3.6 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for typo3/cms-backend, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update typo3/cms-backend to 13.4.34 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-68jx-f42c-7599 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-68jx-f42c-7599 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-68jx-f42c-7599. 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-68jx-f42c-7599 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-68jx-f42c-7599 across Packagist dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.