dbcve.org
DrupalCMS

CVE-2017-6928

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-03-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.57 or later.
See remediation →
59/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable 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
Drupal core 7.x versions before 7.57 when using Drupal's private file system, Drupal will check to make sure a user has access to a file before allowing the user to view or download it. This check fails under certain conditions in which one module is trying to grant access to the file and another is trying to deny it, leading to an access bypass vulnerability. This vulnerability is mitigated by the fact that it only occurs for unusual site configurations.

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

Drupal 7.x before 7.57 contains an access bypass vulnerability in its private file system. The file access control check fails when conflicting access rules exist between modules (one granting access, another denying), allowing unauthorized users to view or download private files they should not access.

MitigationUpdate Drupal core to version 7.57 or later. Review module configurations for conflicting file access rules, especially on sites using the private file system with multiple file access-controlling modules.

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
DrupalCMS
Affected:>= 7.0, < 7.57
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 7.0= 8.0= 9.0

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
High
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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. Check your Drupal core version
    Locate the VERSION file in your Drupal root directory, or run `drush status` and look for the 'Drupal version' field, or check the 'system' table in your database for the 'version' entry.
    Affected if The installed version is 7.0 or higher but lower than 7.57.
  2. Determine if the private file system is enabled
    In the Drupal admin interface, go to Configuration > Media > File system (or access admin/config/media/file-system) and check if the 'Private file system path' field is populated. Alternatively, inspect the 'file_private_path' value in your settings.php file.
    Affected if A private file system path is configured and in use.
  3. Identify file access-controlling modules
    Review your installed modules list for any modules that control file access, such as ACL, Content Access, File Entity, or custom modules implementing hook_file_access. Check module configuration pages for access rules.
    Affected if Multiple modules that control file access are installed and configured.
  4. Review private file directory structure
    Examine the private files directory (as configured in your settings.php or file system settings) to confirm it exists and contains files. List the directory contents to confirm private files are present.
    Affected if The private directory exists and contains files accessible through Drupal.

You are affected if your Drupal core version is below 7.57, you have a private file system configured, and multiple file access-controlling modules are installed with potentially conflicting rules.

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.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to 7.57 or later
Fixed in 7.57
Interim mitigation

Update Drupal core to version 7.57 or later. Review module configurations for conflicting file access rules, especially on sites using the private file system with multiple file access-controlling modules.

Fix this in Drupal Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-6928 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2017-6928 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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