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Cms Made SimpleApplication · Cmsmadesimple

CVE-2017-1000453

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-01-02
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.2 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
CMS Made Simple version 2.1.6 and 2.2 are vulnerable to Smarty templating injection in some core modules, resulting in unauthenticated PHP code execution.

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 · moderate confidence

CMS Made Simple versions 2.1.6 and 2.2 contain a Smarty templating injection vulnerability in certain core modules, allowing remote attackers to inject and execute arbitrary PHP code without authentication. The vulnerability stems from insufficient sanitization of user input within Smarty template contexts, enabling full remote code execution.

MitigationUpgrade CMS Made Simple to a patched version beyond 2.2, or apply vendor-supplied security patches for the affected core modules. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict network access to the application and review template-related code for injection points.

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
Cms Made SimpleApplication
Affected:< 2.2>= 2.2.1

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:3.0/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. Determine installed CMS Made Simple version
    Locate the version file in your installation - typically includes/version.php or check the admin dashboard under Help > About. Open the file and read the $CMSMS_VERSION variable.
    Affected if The installed version is 2.1.6 or 2.2 (or any version < 2.2 that is not patched)
  2. Identify Smarty template usage in core modules
    Examine the /modules directory in your CMS Made Simple installation. Look for core modules that handle user-supplied data through Smarty templates, particularly form or search-related modules.
    Affected if Unsanitized user input is being passed to Smarty template rendering functions in any enabled core module
  3. Verify template preprocessing configuration
    Check your Smarty configuration files (typically in /lib/smarty or /config) for template compilation settings. Look for whether $compile_check or $security settings are properly configured.
    Affected if Smarty template security settings allow arbitrary PHP code execution through template variables
  4. Confirm unauthenticated template access
    Test whether the affected template-handling endpoints are accessible without authentication by attempting to submit template injection payloads through core module forms.
    Affected if Template injection points in core modules are reachable without authentication

Your environment is affected if running CMS Made Simple version 2.1.6 or 2.2 (or any unpatched version below 2.2) with Smarty-based core modules that accept unauthenticated user input.

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 2.2 or later
Fixed in 2.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade CMS Made Simple to a patched version beyond 2.2, or apply vendor-supplied security patches for the affected core modules. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict network access to the application and review template-related code for injection points.

Recommended fix High confidence

CMS Made Simple 2.2.1 or latest stable release

  1. 1. Backup your entire CMS Made Simple installation including database and files
  2. 2. Download CMS Made Simple version 2.2.1 or the latest stable version from the official website (www.cmsmadesimple.org)
  3. 3. Replace core files with the new version, preserving your custom configuration and content
  4. 4. Clear any cached templates and regenerate the site cache
  5. 5. Verify the Smarty templating injection vulnerability is no longer present by testing affected modules
  6. 6. Test core functionality of the CMS after upgrade to ensure normal operation
Caveat Review release notes for any breaking changes between your current version and 2.2.1; test thoroughly in staging first

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

Fix this in Cms Made Simple Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
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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-2017-1000453 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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