# CVE-2025-15005: CouchCMS reCAPTCHA config.example.php hard-coded key

> Hard-coded reCAPTCHA keys in CouchCMS allow attackers to bypass CAPTCHA verification, potentially enabling automated abuse of forms.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.3 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/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:** 22 Dec 2025
- **Updated:** 24 Feb 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-7v96-f75p-x544

## What is CVE-2025-15005?

CVE-2025-15005 is a medium-severity vulnerability in CouchCMS, published on 22 Dec 2025. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A security flaw has been discovered in CouchCMS up to 2.4. Affected is an unknown function of the file couch/config.example.php of the component reCAPTCHA Handler. The manipulation of the argument K_RECAPTCHA_SITE_KEY/K_RECAPTCHA_SECRET_KEY results in use of hard-coded cryptographic key
 . It is possible to launch the attack remotely. This attack is characterized by high complexity. The exploitability is told to be difficult. The exploit has been released to the public and may be used for attacks.

Weakness: CWE-321 (Use of Hard-coded Cryptographic Key), CWE-320

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-15005?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Couchcms Couchcms.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-15005?

No fix has been published for CVE-2025-15005 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2025-15005 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2025-15005 exists.

## Other vulnerabilities in CouchCMS

- [CVE-2026-29002](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-29002/): CouchCMS Privilege Escalation via f_k_levels_list Parameter (high 8.6)
- [CVE-2025-67004](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-67004/): Path traversal in n/a (medium 6.5)
- [CVE-2023-41609](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-41609/): Open redirect in n/a (medium 6.1)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-15005 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-15005 is a medium-severity vulnerability in CouchCMS, published on 22 Dec 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-2025-15005 exists.

Affected product: CouchCMS. 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-2025-15005/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-15005/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-15005
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-15005
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-15005

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-15005/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.