Security Digest · Vulnerability record · Known exploited
CVE-2025-23209: Craft CMS Code Injection Vulnerability
Exploited in the wild (CISA KEV). Craft is a flexible, user-friendly CMS for creating custom digital experiences on the web and beyond.
CISA KEV · added 2025-02-20 CVSS 8.1 High EPSS 21.8% · p98
Should you act?
Exploited: patch now if you run it
CISA has confirmed exploitation in the wild. This signal is computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS data; it is not an editorial verdict.
- Yes, if you run Craft CMS Craft CMS. CISA added this CVE to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2025-02-20, which means there is reliable evidence of exploitation in the wild. US federal agencies must remediate by 2025-03-13; treat that as the outer limit, not the target.
- EPSS 21.8%, percentile 98: FIRST’s model estimates a 21.8% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 98% of all scored CVEs (very high). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
- Needs an account (low (any account)). Exposure depends on who can log in.
What it is
Craft is a flexible, user-friendly CMS for creating custom digital experiences on the web and beyond. This is an remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability that affects Craft 4 and 5 installs where your security key has already been compromised. Anyone running an unpatched version of Craft with a compromised security key is affected. This vulnerability has been patched in Craft 5.5.8 and 4.13.8. Users who cannot update to a patched version, should rotate their security keys and ensure their privacy to help migitgate the issue.
CISA’s summary
Craft CMS contains a code injection vulnerability caused by improper validation of the database backup path, ultimately enabling remote code execution.
Weakness type: CWE-94.
Product: Craft CMS Craft CMS · Assigned by: GitHub_M · Published: 2025-01-18
Affected and fixed versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions (per CVE record) |
|---|---|---|
| craftcms | cms | >= 5.0.0-RC1, < 5.5.5, >= 4.0.0-RC1, < 4.13.8 |
Severity scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub_M | 3.1 | 8.1 High | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H |
- Attack vector: network (remotely reachable)
- Attack complexity: high (needs special conditions)
- Privileges required: low (any account)
- User interaction: required (a user must click/open something)
- Scope: changed (can affect other components)
CVSS measures how bad a flaw is if exploited, not how likely exploitation is. Read it next to the exploitation data below.
Exploitation and urgency
- CISA KEV: added 2025-02-20; federal due date 2025-03-13. Known ransomware use: Unknown.
- CISA required action: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
- CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation active, automatable no, technical impact total.
- FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 21.78% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 98.
Timeline
- — CVE record published by GitHub_M
- — Added to CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
- — CISA remediation deadline for US federal agencies
- — CVE record last updated
Sources and references
Original sources first. Version and fix details should always be confirmed against the vendor or project advisory.
Vendor and project advisories, patches
- Listed in CISA KEV notes (github.com) github.com
Vulnerability records
- CVE.org record CVE-2025-23209 cve.org
- NVD entry CVE-2025-23209 nvd.nist.gov
Government
Other references from the CVE record and advisory
- github.com github.com
- craftcms.com craftcms.com
All exploited Craft CMS vulnerabilities · Today’s Security Digest