Cms Made SimpleApplication · Cmsmadesimple

CVE-2019-9060

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-09-17
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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
An issue was discovered in CMS Made Simple 2.2.8. It is possible to achieve unauthenticated path traversal in the CGExtensions module (in the file action.setdefaulttemplate.php) with the m1_filename parameter; and through the action.showmessage.php file, it is possible to read arbitrary file content (by using that path traversal with m1_prefname set to cg_errormsg and m1_resettodefault=1).

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

Unauthenticated path traversal vulnerability in CMS Made Simple 2.2.8's CGExtensions module allows attackers to read arbitrary files on the server. The first attack vector uses the m1_filename parameter in action.setdefaulttemplate.php, while the second uses m1_prefname=cg_errormsg with m1_resettodefault=1 in action.showmessage.php to access sensitive files.

MitigationUpdate CMS Made Simple and the CGExtensions module to patched versions, or disable the CGExtensions module if not required. Consider implementing web application firewall rules to block path traversal patterns in URL parameters.

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:= 2.2.8

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
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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. Identify CMS Made Simple installation version
    Locate the version file or check the admin dashboard for the installed CMS Made Simple version number
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 2.2.8
  2. Check if CGExtensions module is installed
    List the installed modules in the CMS Made Simple admin panel or inspect the modules directory for CGExtensions
    Affected if The CGExtensions module is present and enabled on the system
  3. Verify vulnerable endpoint availability
    Check for the presence of action.setdefaulttemplate.php and action.showmessage.php files within the CGExtensions module directory
    Affected if Both files exist in the CGExtensions module path
  4. Confirm module is accessible without authentication
    Attempt to access the CGExtensions module endpoints directly without logging in to verify if the module is publicly accessible
    Affected if The endpoints are reachable without authentication
  5. Inspect for path traversal in module parameters
    Review the CGExtensions module configuration or logs for usage of m1_filename, m1_prefname, or m1_resettodefault parameters
    Affected if These parameters are accepted and processed by the module

A system is affected if it runs CMS Made Simple version 2.2.8 with the CGExtensions module installed and enabled, allowing unauthenticated access to the vulnerable PHP files.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update CMS Made Simple and the CGExtensions module to patched versions, or disable the CGExtensions module if not required. Consider implementing web application firewall rules to block path traversal patterns in URL parameters.

Fix this in Cms Made Simple Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2019-9060 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