Authenticated code execution via unchecked theme path
Published Oct 18, 2022 · Updated May 13, 2025
Path traversal in GetSimple CMS 3.3.16 allows remote authenticated users to execute PHP code through the administrative theme editor. admin/theme-edit.php accepts edited_file from a POST request and concatenates it beneath the themes directory before fopen writes attacker-supplied content, without repeating the earlier safe-path validation. The endpoint requires a valid login cookie and save nonce, so an authenticated administrator can traverse out of the selected theme and overwrite a web-accessible PHP file for server-side execution.
Summary
What happened
Path traversal in GetSimple CMS 3.3.16 allows remote authenticated users to execute PHP code through the administrative theme editor. admin/theme-edit.php accepts edited_file from a POST request and concatenates it beneath the themes directory before fopen writes attacker-supplied content, without repeating the earlier safe-path validation. The endpoint requires a valid login cookie and save nonce, so an authenticated administrator can traverse out of the selected theme and overwrite a web-accessible PHP file for server-side execution.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-41544
- Published
- Oct 18, 2022
- Updated
- May 13, 2025
- Vendor
- Unknown vendor
- Product
- Unknown product
- Classifications
- CWE-94, T1505.003
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Oct 18, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 13, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- GetSimple CMS 3.3.16 theme-editor path traversal proof of conceptproof of concept · unverified
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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