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DrupalCMS

CVE-2024-55638

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-12-10
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.102 / 10.2.11 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
Deserialization of Untrusted Data vulnerability in Drupal Core allows Object Injection.This issue affects Drupal Core: from 7.0 before 7.102, from 8.0.0 before 10.2.11, from 10.3.0 before 10.3.9. Drupal core contains a chain of methods that is exploitable when an insecure deserialization vulnerability exists on the site. This so-called gadget chain presents no direct threat but is a vector that can be used to achieve remote code execution if the application deserializes untrusted data due to another 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

Drupal Core contains a deserialization gadget chain that enables object injection when the application deserializes untrusted data due to another vulnerability. This chain of methods alone presents no direct threat but becomes exploitable for remote code execution if paired with any insecure deserialization entry point on the site.

MitigationUpdate Drupal Core to version 7.102, 10.2.11, or 10.3.9 or later. Additionally, audit the application for existing insecure deserialization vulnerabilities that could chain with this gadget.

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:>= 7.0, < 7.102>= 8.0.0, < 10.2.11>= 10.3.0, < 10.3.9

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. Determine installed Drupal Core version
    Check the CHANGELOG.txt file in the Drupal root directory, or run `drush status` (if available), or look at the version element in core/lib/Drupal.php
    Affected if The version is 7.0 to 7.101, 8.0.0 to 10.2.10, or 10.3.0 to 10.3.8
  2. Identify modules using PHP unserialize() on external input
    Search the codebase for patterns like `unserialize($_GET`, `unserialize($_POST`, or `unserialize($_REQUEST`, or grep all custom and contributed modules for 'unserialize' calls that process user-supplied data
    Affected if Any module or custom code deserializes untrusted input from $_GET, $_POST, $_COOKIE, or similar user-controllable sources
  3. Audit for known insecure deserialization modules
    Review all installed modules against known vulnerable modules that accept serialized PHP objects from users, such as the PHP Serialization module or similar components
    Affected if Any module that accepts and deserializes serialized PHP data from untrusted sources is present and enabled

You are affected if your Drupal Core version is within the vulnerable ranges AND you have any module or custom code that performs insecure deserialization of user-supplied data, enabling the gadget chain to achieve remote code execution.

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 7.102 / 10.2.11 / 10.3.9 or later
Fixed in 7.10210.2.1110.3.9
Interim mitigation

Update Drupal Core to version 7.102, 10.2.11, or 10.3.9 or later. Additionally, audit the application for existing insecure deserialization vulnerabilities that could chain with this gadget.

Recommended fix High confidence

Drupal 7.102, Drupal 10.2.11, or Drupal 10.3.9 (depending on your current major version)

  1. 1. Create a complete backup of your Drupal database and files, including the sites directory and configuration files.
  2. 2. Identify your current Drupal version by running `drush status` or checking the CHANGELOG.txt file in your Drupal root.
  3. 3. For Drupal 7.x sites: Upgrade to Drupal 7.102 by updating your codebase and running `drush updb` to execute database updates.
  4. 4. For Drupal 10.2.x sites: Upgrade to Drupal 10.2.11 by updating via Composer (`composer require drupal/core:^10.2.11 --no-interaction`) and running database updates.
  5. 5. For Drupal 10.3.x sites: Upgrade to Drupal 10.3.9 by updating via Composer (`composer require drupal/core:^10.3.9 --no-interaction`) and running database updates.
  6. 6. Clear all caches after upgrade using `drush cr` or through the admin interface.
  7. 7. Verify the upgrade was successful and test critical site functionality.
Caveat Review module and theme compatibility before upgrading; custom modules may require updates to support the new core version

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

Fix this in Drupal Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,760
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,616.

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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-2024-55638 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