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GHSA-43cq-c2gq-pfpw CVE-2026-50280

Craft CMS: Authorization bypass in `entries/move-to-section` via missing target-section save check

Medium Packagist
Severity
0.0 / 10
Medium · CVSS 4.0
Exploit chance (EPSS)
0.40%
Chance of exploitation in the next 30 days. Higher than 34.72% of scored vulnerabilities.
Known exploited
No
Not in CISA's catalog
Weakness
CWE-284 Improper Access Control
Fix
5.9.21
Upgrade craftcms/cms to this version or later

Description

Summary

The EntriesController::actionMoveToSection() endpoint checks only whether the current user can view the destination section, but it does not require permission to save entries into that section. A low-privileged authenticated control-panel user who can move an entry out of its current section can therefore move that entry into a different section where they have read access but no write access.

Details

The vulnerable route is implemented in EntriesController.php:465:

The destination check is only viewEntries:$section->uid . The source-entry gate is Entry::canMove(), which verifies whether the user can move the existing entry based on the source section:

This closes the exploit chain:

  1. External source: authenticated CP request to entries/move-to-section.
  2. Missing authorization check: destination section requires only viewEntries, not saveEntries.
  3. Privileged sink: moveEntryToSection() rewrites sectionId and saves the entry into the unauthorized section.

Preconditions derived from the code:

  1. The attacker is authenticated to the control panel.
  2. Entry 345 is movable by the attacker from its current section.
  3. The attacker can satisfy viewEntries on destination section 12.
  4. The attacker does not have saveEntries:DESTINATION_UID, which is the missing check that makes the bypass possible.

Result:

  1. The controller accepts the request because viewEntries:$section->uid passes.
  2. Each source entry passes canMove() based on source-section permissions.
  3. moveEntryToSection() updates the entry’s sectionId and saves it.
  4. The entry is now located in a section where the attacker did not have write permission.

Impact

This breaks the intended section-level authorization model. A user with limited content permissions can inject or relocate content into a protected section, interfering with editorial boundaries, approval workflows, section-specific business logic, and content ownership expectations.

Affected versions

Packagist

PackageVulnerableFixed in
craftcms/cms
>= 5.0.0-RC1, < 5.9.21
5.9.21

How to fix

Move to the fixed version or later with your package manager, update the lockfile, and run your tests. If the package only arrives through another dependency, upgrade that dependency first. If none of its releases pulls a fixed version yet, force the version with your package manager's override.

craftcms/cms Packagist → 5.9.21

composer
composer require craftcms/cms:^5.9.21

Severity breakdown

CVSS 4.0 0.0

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Attack requirements
Present
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Confidentiality (vulnerable system)
High
Integrity (vulnerable system)
Low
Availability (vulnerable system)
None
Confidentiality (subsequent systems)
None
Integrity (subsequent systems)
None
Availability (subsequent systems)
None

Weakness

CWE-284: Improper Access Control

The product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor.

How to prevent it
  • Architecture and Design, Operation: Very carefully manage the setting, management, and handling of privileges. Explicitly manage trust zones in the software.
  • Architecture and Design: Compartmentalize the system to have "safe" areas where trust boundaries can be unambiguously drawn. Do not allow sensitive data to go outside of the trust boundary and always be careful when interfacing with a compartment outside of the safe area. Ensure that appropriate compartmentalization is built into the system design, and the compartmentalization allows for and reinforces privilege separation functionality. Architects and designers should rely on the principle of least privilege to decide the appropriate time to use privileges and the time to drop privileges.

References

Timeline

  1. Published
  2. Last updated by the source
  3. Latest EPSS score
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GHSA-596p-6jv8-775v
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GHSA-xxpx-f366-4xpq
Craft CMS: Authorization bypass: view-only Categories user can modify category structure via structures/move-element
Medium Also affects craftcms/cms
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