CVE-2022-25769
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 · uneditedImpactThe default .htaccess file has some restrictions in the access to PHP files to only allow specific PHP files to be executed in the root of the application. This logic isn't correct, as the regex in the second FilesMatch only checks the filename, not the full path.
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 confidenceThe vulnerability exists in the default .htaccess file where a FilesMatch directive uses a regex pattern that only validates the filename portion rather than the complete file path. This allows attackers to bypass intended access restrictions and potentially execute unauthorized PHP files from the application root by manipulating path traversal sequences.
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< 3.3.5>= 4.0.0, < 4.2.0CVSS 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
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Locate the .htaccess file in the Mautic web rootFind the .htaccess file in the Mautic installation directory, typically in the root folder or web subdirectory where the application is served from.Affected if The .htaccess file exists and contains FilesMatch directives for PHP files.
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Inspect the FilesMatch directive regex patternOpen the .htaccess file and locate any FilesMatch directive that matches PHP files (e.g., FilesMatch "\.php$"). Examine the regex pattern to see if it anchors to the path start or end.Affected if The regex pattern only validates the filename portion (e.g., \.php$) without anchoring to the full path (e.g., lacks ^/ prefix or proper path validation).
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Check for missing path anchors in the regexReview the FilesMatch pattern - a vulnerable pattern typically looks like '\.php$' or similar that only checks the file extension without validating the complete URI path.Affected if The pattern does not include path anchors (^) or proper full-path validation, allowing path traversal sequences to bypass the restriction.
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Verify the installed Mautic versionCheck the installed Mautic version by reviewing version.php, composer.json, or the Mautic admin dashboard. Compare against affected ranges: < 3.3.5 or >= 4.0.0 and < 4.2.0.Affected if The installed version is less than 3.3.5, or greater than or equal to 4.0.0 but less than 4.2.0.
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Confirm path traversal can reach PHP files in rootTest whether requesting a path like /../../file.php through the web server would bypass the FilesMatch restriction, or inspect if the .htaccess is in the correct location to protect the web root.Affected if The .htaccess with the vulnerable FilesMatch pattern is deployed in a location where it protects the web root, and path traversal could potentially access PHP files.
A user is affected if they run a Mautic version in the affected range AND their .htaccess file contains a FilesMatch PHP directive with a regex pattern that only validates the filename (e.g., \.php$) rather than anchoring to the full path.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped3.3.54.2.0
Fix the FilesMatch regex to validate the complete path (e.g., using anchors ^/$ or proper path matching) instead of just checking the filename, ensuring access controls properly inspect the full requested URI path.
Mautic 3.3.5 or Mautic 4.2.0 (depending on your major version branch)
- 1. Backup your Mautic database and file system before upgrading.
- 2. For Mautic 3.x installations: Upgrade to version 3.3.5 or later.
- 3. For Mautic 4.x installations: Upgrade to version 4.2.0 or later.
- 4. After upgrading, verify the .htaccess file has been updated with the corrected regex pattern that validates the full path, not just the filename.
- 5. Test that legitimate PHP files can be executed while unauthorized PHP files are blocked.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,376.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-25769 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-25769 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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