dbcve.org
Rest\/jsonDrupal extension · Rest\/json Project

CVE-2016-20005

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-01-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 7.x-1.5 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The REST/JSON project 7.x-1.x for Drupal allows user registration bypass, aka SA-CONTRIB-2016-033. NOTE: This project is not covered by Drupal's security advisory policy.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The REST/JSON Drupal module 7.x-1.x contains a critical vulnerability allowing unauthorized user registration bypass through the REST API endpoints. This allows attackers to create administrative or privileged user accounts on affected Drupal sites, potentially gaining full system access.

MitigationImmediately disable or restrict user registration functionality in the REST/JSON module, or update to a patched version if available. Review existing user accounts for unauthorized registrations.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Rest\/jsonDrupal extension
Affected:<= 7.x-1.5

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Locate the Rest/json module version
    Check the module's .info file (usually at sites/all/modules/restjson/restjson.info) or inspect the module's main PHP file for the version constant $version or similar
    Affected if The installed version is 7.x-1.5 or lower
  2. Verify Rest/json module is enabled
    Run `drush pm-list --status=enabled` or check Drupal's system table for the restjson module entry with status=1
    Affected if The module is listed as enabled in Drupal's module list
  3. Confirm REST API endpoints are accessible
    Check the module's routing file (restjson.routing.yml) or module configuration for exposed REST endpoints, or test accessing /rest/json/user/register endpoint
    Affected if REST endpoints are exposed and reachable without authentication
  4. Check user registration configuration
    Examine Drupal's user settings (Configuration > Account settings) or query the variable table for user_register = 1
    Affected if User registration is set to 'Visitors can create accounts' or 'Anyone can register'
  5. Audit existing user accounts for unauthorized creations
    Query the users table for accounts created around the time of potential exposure, especially those with roles 3 (administrator) or elevated permissions
    Affected if Unexpected administrator or privileged accounts exist that were not created by known administrators

Environment is affected if Rest/json module version 7.x-1.5 or lower is enabled with REST endpoints exposed and user registration accessible to unauthenticated users.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 7.x-1.5
Interim mitigation

Immediately disable or restrict user registration functionality in the REST/JSON module, or update to a patched version if available. Review existing user accounts for unauthorized registrations.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

7.x-1.6 or latest available version

  1. 1. Identify all Drupal installations using the REST/JSON module version 7.x-1.5 or earlier
  2. 2. Navigate to the Drupal administration panel for module management
  3. 3. Uninstall the vulnerable REST/JSON module
  4. 4. Download the latest stable version of the REST/JSON module from drupal.org
  5. 5. Install the new version following standard Drupal module installation procedures
  6. 6. Verify user registration settings are configured correctly post-upgrade
  7. 7. Test user registration functionality to confirm proper authorization controls are in place
Caveat Module configuration may need review after upgrade; test user registration flows

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Rest\/json Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-20005 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data