CVE-2025-62521
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 · uneditedChurchCRM is an open-source church management system. Prior to version 5.21.0, a pre-authentication remote code execution vulnerability in ChurchCRM's setup wizard allows unauthenticated attackers to inject arbitrary PHP code during the initial installation process, leading to complete server compromise. The vulnerability exists in `setup/routes/setup.php` where user input from the setup form is directly concatenated into a PHP configuration template without any validation or sanitization. Any parameter in the setup form can be used to inject PHP code that gets written to `Include/Config.php`, which is then executed on every page load. This is more severe than typical authenticated RCE vulnerabilities because it requires no credentials and affects the installation process that administrators must complete. Version 5.21.0 patches 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 confidencePre-authentication remote code execution vulnerability in ChurchCRM's setup wizard (setup/routes/setup.php) allows unauthenticated attackers to inject arbitrary PHP code through form inputs that are directly concatenated into the PHP configuration template (Include/Config.php) without sanitization, leading to code execution on every page load.
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< 5.21.0CVSS 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
- 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check installed ChurchCRM versionLocate the version file or header in ChurchCRM (typically in a VERSION file, or check the header of main PHP files). Compare the version number to the affected range: versions below 5.21.0 are vulnerable.Affected if Installed version is less than 5.21.0
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Verify setup wizard accessibilityCheck if the /setup/routes/setup.php file exists on the server and is accessible via HTTP (without authentication). Attempt to access the setup wizard URL or check web server configuration for this path.Affected if The setup wizard file exists and is reachable without authentication (no login required)
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Inspect Config.php for injected codeLocate the Include/Config.php or configuration file created by the setup wizard. Open it and examine the contents for any PHP code that was not intentionally configured, especially near the beginning of the file or around database configuration parameters.Affected if The Config.php contains unexpected PHP code, particularly at the start of the file or mixed with configuration values
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Check for unauthorized file modificationsReview the modification timestamps and contents of configuration files in the Include/ or system directories. Look for any recently added PHP files or modified configuration files that contain suspicious eval(), base64_decode(), or shell execution functions.Affected if Configuration files have been modified recently or contain suspicious PHP functions not part of standard installation
The environment is affected if ChurchCRM version is below 5.21.0 AND the setup wizard remains accessible without authentication, or if the Config.php file shows evidence of unauthorized PHP code injection.
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 · scoped5.21.0
Upgrade to ChurchCRM version 5.21.0 or later to patch the vulnerability. Organizations using vulnerable versions should immediately upgrade and audit logs for signs of exploitation.
ChurchCRM version 5.21.0
- Backup the entire ChurchCRM installation directory and database before proceeding
- Download ChurchCRM version 5.21.0 from the official GitHub repository (github.com/ChurchCRM/CRM)
- Extract the new version files to a temporary location
- Replace the existing ChurchCRM files with the new version 5.21.0 files, preserving the Include/Config.php file if it already exists
- If running a fresh installation (not upgrade), complete the setup wizard which is now patched
- Verify the installation by accessing the CRM in a web browser
- Ensure the Include/Config.php file does not contain any unexpected PHP code injections
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-62521 — 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-2025-62521 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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- 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