# CVE-2019-11231: File upload in n/a > Authenticated attackers can upload arbitrary PHP files via theme editor, leading to remote code execution, especially if default Apache configurations expose sensitive data. - **Severity:** Critical 9.8 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`) - **Exploited in the wild:** Not known - **Login needed:** Not needed - **Attackable:** Over the internet - **Victim action needed:** Not needed - **Fix available:** No - **Published:** 22 May 2019 - **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024 - **Also known as:** GHSA-hx55-22f6-mp64 ## What is CVE-2019-11231? CVE-2019-11231 is a critical vulnerability in n/a, published on 22 May 2019. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim. ### Official description An issue was discovered in GetSimple CMS through 3.3.15. insufficient input sanitation in the theme-edit.php file allows upload of files with arbitrary content (PHP code, for example). This vulnerability is triggered by an authenticated user; however, authentication can be bypassed. According to the official documentation for installation step 10, an admin is required to upload all the files, including the .htaccess files, and run a health check. However, what is overlooked is that the Apache HTTP Server by default no longer enables the AllowOverride directive, leading to data/users/admin.xml password exposure. The passwords are hashed but this can be bypassed by starting with the data/other/authorization.xml API key. This allows one to target the session state, since they decided to roll their own implementation. The cookie_name is crafted information that can be leaked from the frontend (site name and version). If a someone leaks the API key and the admin username, then they can bypass authentication. To do so, they need to supply a cookie based on an SHA-1 computation of this known information. The vulnerability exists in the admin/theme-edit.php file. This file checks for forms submissions via POST requests, and for the csrf nonce. If the nonce sent is correct, then the file provided by the user is uploaded. There is a path traversal allowing write access outside the jailed themes directory root. Exploiting the traversal is not necessary because the .htaccess file is ignored. A contributing factor is that there isn't another check on the extension before saving the file, with the assumption that the parameter content is safe. This allows the creation of web accessible and executable files with arbitrary content. Weakness: CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory) ## Which versions are affected by CVE-2019-11231? It affects 1 product. Products: Get-Simple Getsimple Cms. ## How do I fix CVE-2019-11231? No fix has been published for CVE-2019-11231 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available. ## Is CVE-2019-11231 being exploited? It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2019-11231 exists. Public exploit code: - CVE-2019-11231 PoC (github_poc): https://github.com/akincibor/CVE-2019-11231-PoC - GetSimpleCMS Unauthenticated RCE (metasploit) - GetSimpleCMS - Unauthenticated Remote Code Execution (Metasploit) (exploitdb) ## Other vulnerabilities in n/a - [CVE-2022-41544](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-41544/): Code injection in n/a (high 8.8) - [CVE-2018-17103](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-17103/): Cross-site request forgery in n/a (high 8.8) - [CVE-2014-8722](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2014-8722/): Information disclosure in n/a (high 7.5) - [CVE-2020-23839](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-23839/): Cross-site scripting in n/a (medium 6.1) - [CVE-2013-1420](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-1420/): Cross-site scripting in n/a (medium 6.1) ## Fix prompt for AI coding agents ```text Check this codebase for CVE-2019-11231 and fix it if it is affected. What it is: CVE-2019-11231 is a critical vulnerability in n/a, published on 22 May 2019. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim. Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2019-11231 exists. Affected product: n/a. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page. 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-2019-11231/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-11231/index.md) ``` ## Sources - CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-11231 - NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-11231 - OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2019-11231 --- From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-11231/ Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.