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DrupalCMS

CVE-2022-25277

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-04-26
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.3.19 / 9.4.3 or later.
See remediation →
78/100
Remediation priority · High
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 sanitizes filenames with dangerous extensions upon upload (reference: SA-CORE-2020-012) and strips leading and trailing dots from filenames to prevent uploading server configuration files (reference: SA-CORE-2019-010). However, the protections for these two vulnerabilities previously did not work correctly together. As a result, if the site were configured to allow the upload of files with an htaccess extension, these files' filenames would not be properly sanitized. This could allow bypassing the protections provided by Drupal core's default .htaccess files and possible remote code execution on Apache web servers. This issue is mitigated by the fact that it requires a field administrator to explicitly configure a file field to allow htaccess as an extension (a restricted permission), or a contributed module or custom code that overrides allowed file uploads.

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 core combines two prior security fixes (SA-CORE-2020-012 for dangerous extensions and SA-CORE-2019-010 for dot-stripping) that failed to work correctly together. When a file field is explicitly configured to allow .htaccess extensions, filenames are not properly sanitized, enabling attackers to bypass Drupal's default .htaccess protections and potentially achieve RCE on Apache servers.

MitigationReview all file field configurations and ensure .htaccess extension is not explicitly allowed; audit any contributed modules or custom code that override file upload handling; apply Drupal core security updates that fix this bypass.

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:>= 8.0.0, < 9.3.19>= 9.4.0, < 9.4.3

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/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. Check installed Drupal core version
    Locate the VERSION file in the Drupal root directory, or run `drush status` or `composer show drupal/core` to retrieve the installed version number
    Affected if The installed version is >= 8.0.0 and < 9.3.19, or >= 9.4.0 and < 9.4.3
  2. Identify file field configurations
    Review all content types and entity types that contain file or image fields. Use Drupal admin UI at Configuration > Content Authoring > Field types, or query the field_config and field_config_instance database tables
    Affected if Any file field exists in the system
  3. Inspect file field extension allowlist settings
    For each file field, examine the Allowed file extensions setting in the field configuration. Look specifically for the literal string 'htaccess' or '.htaccess' in the allowed extensions list
    Affected if Any file field has '.htaccess' explicitly listed in its allowed extensions
  4. Verify uploaded files directory permissions
    Check the public://files and private://files directories for the presence of .htaccess files. Verify that Drupal's default .htaccess protection is present and active
    Affected if The .htaccess protection is missing or has been overridden, and a vulnerable file field configuration exists

A user is affected if their Drupal core version falls within the affected ranges AND they have a file field that explicitly allows .htaccess extensions in its configuration.

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 9.3.19 / 9.4.3 or later
Fixed in 9.3.199.4.3
Interim mitigation

Review all file field configurations and ensure .htaccess extension is not explicitly allowed; audit any contributed modules or custom code that override file upload handling; apply Drupal core security updates that fix this bypass.

Recommended fix High confidence

Drupal core 9.3.19+ or 9.4.3+

  1. 1. Back up the entire Drupal site including database and files
  2. 2. Update Drupal core to version 9.3.19 or later (if on 9.3.x branch), or to version 9.4.3 or later (if on 9.4.x branch)
  3. 3. Run database updates (drush updatedb or via web UI at /update.php)
  4. 4. Clear all Drupal caches (drush cr)
  5. 5. Verify the site functionality and test file upload fields
Caveat Drupal minor version upgrades are generally low-risk but review custom modules and themes for compatibility with the target minor version

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

Fix this in Drupal Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,770
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,832.

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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-2022-25277 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