# CVE-2011-4140: Django Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerability

> Remote attackers can bypass CSRF protection in Django via DNS CNAME tricks and JavaScript, triggering forged requests from victims.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.8 (`AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 19 Oct 2011
- **Updated:** 7 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2011-4140, GHSA-h95j-h2rv-qrg4, PYSEC-2011-5

## What is CVE-2011-4140?

CVE-2011-4140 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Djangoproject Django, published on 19 Oct 2011. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

The CSRF protection mechanism in Django through 1.2.7 and 1.3.x through 1.3.1 does not properly handle web-server configurations supporting arbitrary HTTP Host headers, which allows remote attackers to trigger unauthenticated forged requests via vectors involving a DNS CNAME record and a web page containing JavaScript code.

Weakness: CWE-352 (Cross-Site Request Forgery)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2011-4140?

5 open source packages ship an affected version, including django and Django. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `django` | PyPI | All versions | 1.2.7, 1.3.1 |
| `django` | PyPI | All versions to 1.2.7 | None |
| `django` | PyPI | From 1.3 to 1.3.1 | None |
| `Django` | PyPI | All versions to 1.2.7 | None |
| `Django` | PyPI | From 1.3 to 1.3.1 | None |

Products: Djangoproject Django.

## How do I fix CVE-2011-4140?

Upgrade django to a fixed version for your release line: 1.2.7 or 1.3.1.

## Is CVE-2011-4140 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2011-4140 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Djangoproject Django

- [CVE-2026-4277](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-4277/): Privilege abuse in GenericInlineModelAdmin (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2024-53908](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-53908/): Django SQL injection in HasKey(lhs, rhs) on Oracle (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2024-42005](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-42005/): Django SQL injection vulnerability (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2023-31047](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-31047/): Django bypasses validation when using one form field to upload multiple files (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2022-34265](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-34265/): Django `Trunc()` and `Extract()` database functions vulnerable to SQL Injection (critical 9.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2011-4140 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2011-4140 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Djangoproject Django, published on 19 Oct 2011. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2011-4140 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- django (PyPI): affected all versions; fixed in 1.2.7, 1.3.1
- django (PyPI): affected all versions up to 1.2.7; no fix listed
- django (PyPI): affected from 1.3 up to 1.3.1; no fix listed
- Django (PyPI): affected all versions up to 1.2.7; no fix listed
- Django (PyPI): affected from 1.3 up to 1.3.1; no fix listed

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2011-4140/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2011-4140/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2011-4140
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2011-4140
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2011-4140

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2011-4140/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.