dbcve.org
Movable TypeApplication · Sixapart

CVE-2022-38078

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-08-24
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.53 / 6.8.7 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
Movable Type XMLRPC API provided by Six Apart Ltd. contains a command injection vulnerability. Sending a specially crafted message by POST method to Movable Type XMLRPC API may allow arbitrary Perl script execution, and an arbitrary OS command may be executed through it. Affected products and versions are as follows: Movable Type 7 r.5202 and earlier, Movable Type Advanced 7 r.5202 and earlier, Movable Type 6.8.6 and earlier, Movable Type Advanced 6.8.6 and earlier, Movable Type Premium 1.52 and earlier, and Movable Type Premium Advanced 1.52 and earlier. Note that all versions of Movable Type 4.0 or later including unsupported (End-of-Life, EOL) versions are also affected by this vulnerability.

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

Movable Type's XMLRPC API contains a command injection vulnerability allowing unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary Perl code and OS commands via specially crafted POST requests. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation in the XMLRPC endpoint handling.

MitigationDisable or restrict access to the XMLRPC API endpoint (typically /mt-xmlrpc.cgi) at the web server level, or apply vendor-supplied patches to upgrade to fixed versions (MT 7 r.5203+, MT 6.8.7+, MT Premium 1.53+).

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
Movable TypeApplication
Affected:< 1.53>= 6.0.0, < 6.8.7>= 7.0.0, < 7.9.5

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:3.1/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. Locate the XMLRPC endpoint
    Check your web server configuration and filesystem for /mt-xmlrpc.cgi or similar XMLRPC handler scripts (mt-xmlrpc.pl, mt-xmlrpc.rb, etc.)
    Affected if The XMLRPC endpoint file exists and is accessible via HTTP/HTTPS
  2. Verify Movable Type version
    Check the version file in your Movable Type installation directory, typically found in a version.pm file or the mt-config file, or access the MT admin interface to view system information
    Affected if The installed version is < 1.53, >= 6.0.0 and < 6.8.7, or >= 7.0.0 and < 7.9.5
  3. Confirm XMLRPC API is enabled
    Review your mt-config.cgi or mt-config.yaml configuration file for XMLRPC-related settings, and check the Movable Type admin panel under Tools > API to see if XMLRPC is listed as enabled
    Affected if XMLRPC API functionality is enabled in the configuration
  4. Test XMLRPC endpoint accessibility
    Send a simple POST request to your XMLRPC endpoint (e.g., curl -X POST https://yourdomain.com/mt-xmlrpc.cgi) with a basic XML payload and observe if you receive an XML response rather than an access denied error
    Affected if The endpoint responds to POST requests and returns XMLRPC responses, indicating it is active

You are affected if your Movable Type version falls within the vulnerable ranges AND the XMLRPC API endpoint is accessible and enabled on your server.

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 1.53 / 6.8.7 / 7.9.5 or later
Fixed in 1.536.8.77.9.5
Interim mitigation

Disable or restrict access to the XMLRPC API endpoint (typically /mt-xmlrpc.cgi) at the web server level, or apply vendor-supplied patches to upgrade to fixed versions (MT 7 r.5203+, MT 6.8.7+, MT Premium 1.53+).

Recommended fix High confidence

Movable Type 6.8.7, 7.9.5, or 1.53 (Premium) - depending on which product line is in use

  1. 1. Identify the current Movable Type version by checking the admin dashboard or mt-config.cgi file
  2. 2. For Movable Type 6.x versions (< 6.8.7): Upgrade to Movable Type 6.8.7 or later
  3. 3. For Movable Type 7.x versions (< 7.9.5): Upgrade to Movable Type 7.9.5 or later
  4. 4. For Movable Type Premium versions (< 1.53): Upgrade to version 1.53 or later
  5. 5. After upgrade, verify the XMLRPC API is functioning correctly and monitor for any suspicious activity
  6. 6. Review mt-config.cgi to ensure XMLRPC API access is properly restricted if not needed
Caveat Review migration notes between major versions as template/theme changes may require adjustment

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

Fix this in Movable Type Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing10.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
34.0 hours of engineering $5,940
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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-2022-38078 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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