Authenticated remote code execution via unrestricted BinaryFormatter deserialization
Published Sep 3, 2025 · Updated Sep 3, 2025
Untrusted deserialization in Sitecore XM and XP 9.0 through 9.3 and 10.0 through 10.4 allows remote authenticated users to execute code. The ConvertWebControls pipeline passes a base64 value from attacker-supplied HTML to Sitecore.Convert.Base64ToObject, which invokes BinaryFormatter.Deserialize without a binder or type checks. Content Editor rights are required; successful exploitation runs attacker-chosen code in the Sitecore server process.
Summary
What happened
Untrusted deserialization in Sitecore XM and XP 9.0 through 9.3 and 10.0 through 10.4 allows remote authenticated users to execute code. The ConvertWebControls pipeline passes a base64 value from attacker-supplied HTML to Sitecore.Convert.Base64ToObject, which invokes BinaryFormatter.Deserialize without a binder or type checks. Content Editor rights are required; successful exploitation runs attacker-chosen code in the Sitecore server process.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-53691
- Published
- Sep 3, 2025
- Updated
- Sep 3, 2025
- Vendor
- Sitecore
- Product
- Sitecore Experience Manager
- Classifications
- CWE-502, T1190
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Sep 3, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Sep 3, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=10.0 <=10.4
- Affected versionversion=9.0 <=9.3
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
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
- watchTowr post-authentication deserialization RCE demonstrationfunctional · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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