CVE-2018-17856 Joomla RCE Vulnerability
Administrator-level users can execute arbitrary code in Joomla via the com_joomlaupdate component due to default ACL settings.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- An administrator
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2018-17856?
CVE-2018-17856 is a high-severity code injection vulnerability in Joomla Joomla\!, published on 9 Oct 2018. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.
Official description
An issue was discovered in Joomla! before 3.8.13. com_joomlaupdate allows the execution of arbitrary code. The default ACL config enabled the ability of Administrator-level users to access com_joomlaupdate and trigger code execution.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-17856?
2 open source packages ship an affected version, including joomla/framework. It affects 1 product.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
joomla/framework Packagist | From 2.5.4 | 3.8.13 |
joomla/framework Packagist | From 2.5.4 | 3.8.13 |
Products include Joomla Joomla\!.
How do I fix CVE-2018-17856?
Upgrade joomla/framework to 3.8.13 or later.
Upgrade, and never evaluate templates, expressions or code built from user input. More about Code injection.
Is CVE-2018-17856 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-17856 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Joomla Joomla\!
- CVE-2016-10033 PHPMailer Command Injection
- CVE-2023-23752 Joomla! Improper Access Control
- CVE-2026-48902 Joomla! Core - [20260518] - Transport encryption downgrade for password and username reset links
- CVE-2025-25226 [20250401] - Joomla Framework - SQL injection vulnerability in quoteNameStr method of Database package
- CVE-2022-23795 [20220303] - Core - User row are not bound to a authentication mechanism
Sources
Also known as GHSA-9m72-pw47-292w.