CVE-2025-66295

When a user with privilege of user creation creates a new user through the Admin UI and supplies a username containing path traversal sequences (for example ..\Nijat or ../Nijat), Grav writes the account YAML file to an unintended path outside user/accounts/. The written YAML can contain account fields such as email, fullname, twofa_secret, and hashed_password. In my tests, I was able to cause the Admin UI to write the following content into arbitrary .yaml files (including files like email.yaml, system.yaml, or other site YAML files like admin.yaml), demonstrating arbitrary YAML write / overwrite via the Admin UI.

Example observed content written by the Admin UI (test data):
username: ..\Nijat
state: enabled
email: [email protected]
fullname: 'Nijat Alizada'
language: en
content_editor: default
twofa_enabled: false
twofa_secret: RWVEIHC2AFVD6FCR6UHCO3DS4HWXKKDT
avatar: { }
hashed_password: $2y$10$wl9Ktv3vUmDKCt8o6u2oOuRZr1I04OE0YZf2sJ1QcAherbNnk1XVC
access:
site:
login: true

Steps to Reproduce

1. Log in to the Grav Admin UI as an administrator.
2. Create a new user with the following values (example):
   a. Username: ..\POC-TOKEN-2025-09-29
   b. Fullname: POC-TOKEN-2025-09-29
   c. Email: [email protected]
   d. Password: (any password)

Observe that a YAML file containing the POC-TOKEN is written outside user/accounts/ (for example in the parent directory of user/accounts)

Proof of Concept

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/cf503d74-f765-4031-8e22-71f6b3630847

1. Config corruption / service disruption: Overwriting system.yaml, email.yaml, or plugin config files with attacker-controlled YAML (even if limited to fields present in account YAML) could break functionality, disable services, or cause misconfiguration requiring recovery from backups.
2. Account takeover, any user with create user privilege can modify other user's email and password by just creating a new user with the name "..\accounts\USERNAME_OF_VICTIM"

Input manipulates file paths to reach files outside the intended directory, such as configuration or credential files. Typical impact: unauthorized file read or write outside the intended directory.

CVE-2025-66295 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (High). The vector is network-reachable, low privileges required, and no user interaction. 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 (1.8.0-beta.27); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

1. What is CVE-2025-66295? CVE-2025-66295 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in getgrav/grav (composer), affecting versions < 1.8.0-beta.27. It is fixed in 1.8.0-beta.27. Input manipulates file paths to reach files outside the intended directory, such as configuration or credential files.
2. How severe is CVE-2025-66295? CVE-2025-66295 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (High). 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.
3. Which versions of getgrav/grav are affected by CVE-2025-66295? getgrav/grav (composer) versions < 1.8.0-beta.27 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2025-66295? Yes. CVE-2025-66295 is fixed in 1.8.0-beta.27. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2025-66295 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2025-66295 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
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2025-66295 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.
7. How do I fix CVE-2025-66295? Upgrade getgrav/grav to 1.8.0-beta.27 or later.