CVE-2026-46696

CVE-2026-46696 is a low-severity improper privilege management vulnerability in october/system (composer), affecting versions < 3.7.17. It is fixed in 3.7.17, 4.2.23.

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Summary

October CMS: Safe Mode Sandbox Bypass via Session Store and Forwarded Builder Calls

A vulnerability was identified in the Twig sandbox security policy that allowed a chained bypass when cms.safe_mode is enabled. The Laravel session store was exposed to Twig with unrestricted method access, and raw SQL methods reachable through Eloquent's __call forwarding were not blocked across the full builder chain. When combined, a backend user with CMS markup editing access could read arbitrary database values via raw SQL expressions and write to the backend authentication session key, forging a backend session as another existing user.

Scope of impact is narrow. Safe Mode is a niche feature, primarily used for demo installations and multi-tenant or shared-editor scenarios where untrusted users are deliberately granted access to the CMS markup editor. Standard production deployments do not enable Safe Mode, because under normal October CMS guidance backend access - including markup editing - is restricted to trusted administrators, and direct PHP injection through markup is already possible without Safe Mode in that configuration.

This issue only affects sites that meet all of the following conditions:

  • cms.safe_mode is enabled (a deliberate opt-in for demos or untrusted-editor scenarios)
  • The site has at least one backend user with CMS markup editing access who is not intended to be trusted as a full administrator
  • The site has at least one existing superuser account whose session the lower-privileged user can impersonate

Workarounds

If upgrading immediately is not possible:

  • Restrict CMS markup editing access to fully trusted administrators only - the standard October CMS recommendation for any deployment
  • Note that disabling cms.safe_mode is not a workaround; Safe Mode is the boundary this issue affects, and disabling it removes the only sandbox between markup editors and the server

References

  • Reported by r00tn0b0dy

Impact

  • Arbitrary read access to database tables, including superuser persistence codes from backend_users, via raw SQL expressions reachable through Eloquent\Model, Eloquent\Builder, or any allowlisted class that __call-forwards to a query builder
  • Forgery of a backend authentication session by writing to the admin_auth session key from a Twig template, allowing a markup editor to impersonate an existing superuser
  • Requires authenticated backend access with CMS markup editing permission AND cms.safe_mode enabled
  • Not exploitable when Safe Mode is disabled (direct PHP injection through markup is already possible in that configuration, so Safe Mode is the boundary this issue affects)

The application assigns, modifies, tracks, or checks privileges incorrectly, allowing a user to gain elevated access. Typical impact: privilege escalation beyond the intended level.

CVE-2026-46696 has a CVSS score of 3.3 (Low). The vector is network-reachable, high 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 (3.7.17, 4.2.23); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

october/system (< 3.7.17) october/system (>= 4.0.0, < 4.2.23)

Security releases

october/system → 3.7.17 (composer) october/system → 4.2.23 (composer)

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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Remediation advice

The vulnerability has been patched in v3.7.17 and v4.2.21. The Laravel session store is now wrapped in a proxy that exposes only an explicit subset of read/write methods and rejects writes to reserved session key prefixes (admin_auth, october_auth, login_*, _token, and other framework internals). Raw SQL and subquery methods (selectRaw, whereRaw, orderByRaw, joinSub, and related) are now blocked on Query\Builder, Eloquent\Builder, and Eloquent\Model so the blocklist is consistent across the __call forwarding chain. All sites that enable cms.safe_mode are encouraged to upgrade to the latest patched version.

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What is CVE-2026-46696? CVE-2026-46696 is a low-severity improper privilege management vulnerability in october/system (composer), affecting versions < 3.7.17. It is fixed in 3.7.17, 4.2.23. The application assigns, modifies, tracks, or checks privileges incorrectly, allowing a user to gain elevated access.
  2. How severe is CVE-2026-46696? CVE-2026-46696 has a CVSS score of 3.3 (Low). 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 october/system are affected by CVE-2026-46696? october/system (composer) versions < 3.7.17 is affected.
  4. Is there a fix for CVE-2026-46696? Yes. CVE-2026-46696 is fixed in 3.7.17, 4.2.23. Upgrade to this version or later.
  5. Is CVE-2026-46696 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-46696 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-2026-46696 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-2026-46696?
    • Upgrade october/system to 3.7.17 or later
    • Upgrade october/system to 4.2.23 or later

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