# CVE-2025-11938: ChurchCRM setup.php deserialization

> Remote attackers can exploit unsafe deserialization in ChurchCRM setup routes to potentially execute arbitrary code, requiring high complexity and permissions.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.3 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 19 Oct 2025
- **Updated:** 24 Feb 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-3xw3-q4cq-8785

## What is CVE-2025-11938?

CVE-2025-11938 is a medium-severity unsafe deserialization vulnerability in Churchcrm Churchcrm, published on 19 Oct 2025. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A vulnerability was found in ChurchCRM up to 5.18.0. This vulnerability affects unknown code of the file setup/routes/setup.php. Performing a manipulation of the argument DB_PASSWORD/ROOT_PATH/URL results in deserialization. The attack may be initiated remotely. The attack's complexity is rated as high. It is stated that the exploitability is difficult. The exploit has been made public and could be used. The vendor was contacted early about this disclosure but did not respond in any way.

Weakness: CWE-502 (Deserialization of Untrusted Data), CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-11938?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Churchcrm Churchcrm.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-11938?

No fix has been published for CVE-2025-11938 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2025-11938 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2025-11938 exists.

## Other vulnerabilities in Churchcrm Churchcrm

- [CVE-2026-39337](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-39337/): ChurchCRM Affected by Unauthenticated RCE in Install Wizard (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2025-62521](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-62521/): ChurchCRM has unauthenticated RCE in its Install Wizard (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2025-68110](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-68110/): ChurchCRM discloses database information on error message (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2024-53438](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-53438/): SQL injection in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2024-25894](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-25894/): SQL injection in n/a (critical 9.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-11938 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-11938 is a medium-severity unsafe deserialization vulnerability in Churchcrm Churchcrm, published on 19 Oct 2025. 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-2025-11938 exists.

Affected product: Churchcrm Churchcrm. 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-2025-11938/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-11938/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-11938
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-11938
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-11938

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-11938/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.