OctoberApplication · Octobercms

CVE-2023-44382

CRITICAL · 9.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-12-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.4.15 or later.
See remediation →
97/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
October is a Content Management System (CMS) and web platform to assist with development workflow. An authenticated backend user with the `editor.cms_pages`, `editor.cms_layouts`, or `editor.cms_partials` permissions who would normally not be permitted to provide PHP code to be executed by the CMS due to `cms.safe_mode` being enabled can write specific Twig code to escape the Twig sandbox and execute arbitrary PHP. This issue has been patched in 3.4.15.

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

This is a Twig sandbox escape vulnerability in October CMS that allows authenticated backend users with editor permissions (cms_pages, cms_layouts, or cms_partials) to bypass cms.safe_mode protection and execute arbitrary PHP code through specially crafted Twig templates.

MitigationUpgrade to October CMS version 3.4.15 or later. Until patched, limit editor role permissions and consider disabling CMS functionality if operationally feasible.

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
OctoberApplication
Affected:>= 3.0.0, < 3.4.15

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
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/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 October CMS version
    Locate the version file (typically composer.json or version.yaml in the root directory) and identify the installed October CMS core version
    Affected if The installed version is 3.0.0 or higher but lower than 3.4.15
  2. Verify CMS module is active
    Check if the CMS module/functionality is enabled in the October CMS installation by examining the config/cms.php file or backend settings
    Affected if CMS functionality is enabled and accessible to users
  3. Identify users with editor permissions
    In the October CMS backend, navigate to Administrators or Users section and review role permissions. Specifically check for users with editor roles that include cms_pages, cms_layouts, or cms_partials permissions
    Affected if Any authenticated user has editor-level access to cms_pages, cms_layouts, or cms_partials
  4. Check if safe_mode is configured
    Inspect the config/cms.php configuration file for the safe_mode setting, or check the CMS settings page in the backend
    Affected if cms.safe_mode is enabled (the bypass targets this protection)

You are affected if running October CMS version 3.0.0 through 3.4.14 with CMS module enabled and users have editor permissions for CMS content, especially if safe_mode is configured.

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 3.4.15 or later
Fixed in 3.4.15
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to October CMS version 3.4.15 or later. Until patched, limit editor role permissions and consider disabling CMS functionality if operationally feasible.

Recommended fix High confidence

October CMS 3.4.15

  1. Back up your October CMS database and all files before upgrading
  2. Download October CMS version 3.4.15 from the official source
  3. Replace the existing October CMS files with the new version 3.4.15 files
  4. Run any available database migrations if required by the upgrade
  5. Verify that the CMS is functioning correctly after the upgrade
  6. Confirm that `cms.safe_mode` is still properly configured according to your security requirements
  7. Test that users with editor permissions can no longer escape the Twig sandbox
Caveat Review release notes for 3.4.15 to check for any breaking changes or deprecations that may affect your custom themes or plugins

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

Fix this in October Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,390
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,224.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-44382 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-44382 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