Summary
Craft CMS: Blind SSRF and Arbitrary JavaScript Injection via Host Header Poisoning in actionResourceJs
1. Overview
Craft CMS is vulnerable to Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) and Arbitrary JavaScript Injection through the /actions/app/resource-js endpoint. By exploiting the default permissive trustedHosts configuration, an attacker can poison the Host or X-Forwarded-Host header to manipulate the application’s $baseUrl. This bypasses the endpoint’s internal URL validation, forcing the backend Guzzle client to fetch a malicious payload from an attacker-controlled server and reflect it to the client with a Content-Type: application/javascript header.
2. Vulnerability Mechanism (Root Cause)
The vulnerability manifests when assetManager.cacheSourcePaths is set to false. The attack chain relies on three structural flaws and insecure defaults:
- A. Default Proxy Trust (
trustedHosts): Craft’s defaultGeneralConfig::$trustedHostsis set to['any']. This allows an attacker to bypass front-end web server (Nginx/Apache) strictHostheader validations by simply injecting anX-Forwarded-Hostheader. Yii2 will parse this and globally set$baseUrlto the attacker's domain. - B. Insecure HTTP Client (
actionResourceJs): InAppController::actionResourceJs(), thestr_starts_with($url, $baseUrl)validation is bypassed because$baseUrlis already poisoned by the attacker. The core then usesCraft::createGuzzleClient()->get($url). Unlike the GraphQL Asset fetcher, this Guzzle instance defaults toALLOW_REDIRECTS => true. - C. Forced JS Content-Type: The response fetched from the attacker's server is blindly returned to the user via
$this->asRaw()with the headerContent-Type: application/javascript.
3. Attack Scenario & Impact (Proof of Exploitability)
This endpoint acts as a proxy, taking remote, unverified content and serving it as valid JavaScript. While the direct SSRF allows for internal network probing, the most devastating impact occurs when caching layers are involved.
If the Craft CMS instance is behind a caching layer, this vulnerability leads directly to Web Cache Poisoning:
- An unauthenticated attacker sends the poisoned request.
- The caching layer caches the malicious JavaScript response for the legitimate
/actions/app/resource-jsURI. - When an authenticated Administrator logs into the Control Panel, their browser loads the poisoned cached JavaScript (Stored XSS).
- The malicious script extracts
window.Craft.csrfTokenValueand silently sends a POST request to/admin/actions/plugins/install-plugin, achieving 1-Click Remote Code Execution (RCE) via Session Riding.
Impact
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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craftcms/cms to 5.10 or later; craftcms/cms to 4.18 or later
Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2026-55791? CVE-2026-55791 is a critical-severity security vulnerability in craftcms/cms (composer), affecting versions >= 5.0.0-RC1, < 5.10. It is fixed in 5.10, 4.18.
- Which versions of craftcms/cms are affected by CVE-2026-55791? craftcms/cms (composer) versions >= 5.0.0-RC1, < 5.10 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2026-55791? Yes. CVE-2026-55791 is fixed in 5.10, 4.18. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2026-55791 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-55791 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-2026-55791 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-2026-55791?
- Upgrade
craftcms/cmsto 5.10 or later - Upgrade
craftcms/cmsto 4.18 or later
- Upgrade