CVE-2025-23209
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 · uneditedCraft is a flexible, user-friendly CMS for creating custom digital experiences on the web and beyond. This is an remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability that affects Craft 4 and 5 installs where your security key has already been compromised. Anyone running an unpatched version of Craft with a compromised security key is affected. This vulnerability has been patched in Craft 5.5.8 and 4.13.8. Users who cannot update to a patched version, should rotate their security keys and ensure their privacy to help migitgate the issue.
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 confidenceThis is a remote code execution vulnerability in Craft CMS versions 4 and 5. The vulnerability requires the security key to already be compromised before exploitation, making it a secondary attack vector. Patches are available in Craft 5.5.8 and 4.13.8.
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> 4.0.0, < 4.13.8> 5.0.0, < 5.5.8= 4.0.0= 5.0.0CVSS 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
- High
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed Craft CMS versionCheck the version file in your Craft installation. Look for a `composer.json` file in the project root, or check the Craft-specific version file if available in the craft/app/ or vendor directory. Run `composer show craftcms/cms` if composer is available.Affected if The installed version is less than 4.13.8 (for Craft 4.x) or less than 5.5.8 (for Craft 5.x), or exactly equals 4.0.0 or 5.0.0
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Confirm Craft version branchDetermine whether you are running Craft 4 or Craft 5 by checking the composer.json or the craft/app/info.php file for the major version number.Affected if Running Craft 4.x or 5.x with a version number in the affected range (below 4.13.8 or 5.5.8)
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Locate the security key configurationCheck your Craft CMS configuration for the security key. Look in config/general.php or environment-specific config files for the `securityKey` setting, or check if the key is stored in the .env file as `CRAFT_SECURITY_KEY`.Affected if A static security key is defined in configuration files rather than generated dynamically, as static keys may be more easily compromised
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Check for key exposure in version control or backupsSearch your codebase, version control history, and backup files for the security key value. Review .gitignore to ensure the .env file and config/local.php are excluded from version control.Affected if The security key value is present in git repositories, configuration files committed to version control, or unprotected backup files, meaning it could have been obtained by an attacker
Your environment is affected if you are running any Craft CMS version between 4.0.0 and 4.13.7 (inclusive) or between 5.0.0 and 5.5.7 (inclusive), and your security key has any risk of exposure.
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 · scoped4.13.85.5.8
Users should rotate their compromised security keys and update to patched versions (5.5.8 or 4.13.8) to remediate this vulnerability.
4.13.8 for Craft 4.x, 5.5.8 for Craft 5.x
- 1. Back up your Craft CMS database and files before updating
- 2. For Craft 4.x: Update to version 4.13.8 or later
- 3. For Craft 5.x: Update to version 5.5.8 or later
- 4. After updating, rotate your security key as an additional precaution: edit the `craft/config/general.php` file and generate a new 32-character random string for the `securityKey` setting
- 5. Clear any caches after the update
- 6. Verify the update was successful by checking the Craft version in the control panel
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 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 $2,272.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-23209 — 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-2025-23209 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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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.
- 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