Summary
Arbitrary File Deletion vulnerability in OctoberCMS
Workarounds
Apply https://github.com/octobercms/october/commit/2b8939cc8b5b6fe81e093fe2c9f883ada4e3c8cc to your installation manually if unable to upgrade to Build 466.
References
Reported by Sivanesh Ashok
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Email us at [email protected]
Threat assessment:
Impact
An attacker can exploit this vulnerability to delete arbitrary local files of an October CMS server. The vulnerability is only exploitable by an authenticated backend user with the cms.manage_assets permission.
CVE-2020-5296 has a CVSS score of 6.2 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, high privileges required, and user interaction required. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (1.0.466); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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Issue has been patched in Build 466 (v1.0.466).
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2020-5296? CVE-2020-5296 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in october/cms (composer), affecting versions >= 1.0.319, < 1.0.466. It is fixed in 1.0.466.
- How severe is CVE-2020-5296? CVE-2020-5296 has a CVSS score of 6.2 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Which versions of october/cms are affected by CVE-2020-5296? october/cms (composer) versions >= 1.0.319, < 1.0.466 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2020-5296? Yes. CVE-2020-5296 is fixed in 1.0.466. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2020-5296 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2020-5296 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2020-5296 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2020-5296? Upgrade
october/cmsto 1.0.466 or later.