CVE-2019-14771

Severity: critical (CVSS 9.8 v3.0)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 2.6% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2019-08-08 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-20

Description

Backdrop CMS 1.12.x before 1.12.8 and 1.13.x before 1.13.3 allows the upload of entire-site configuration archives through the user interface or command line. It does not sufficiently check uploaded archives for invalid data, potentially allowing non-configuration scripts to be uploaded to the server. (This attack is mitigated by the attacker needing the "Synchronize, import, and export configuration" permission, a permission that only trusted administrators should be given. Other preventative measures in Backdrop CMS prevent the execution of PHP scripts, so another server-side scripting language must be accessible on the server to execute code.) Note: This has been disputed by multiple 3rd parties due to advanced permissions that are needed to exploit.

Affected products

BackdropCMS Backdrop: from 1.12.0 before 1.12.8; from 1.13.0 before 1.13.3 — fixed in 1.12.8, 1.13.3

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: BackdropCMS Backdrop 1.12.8, 1.13.3. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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