dbcve.org
Improper Access ControlWeakness · CWE-284

CVE-2026-1879

MEDIUM · 6.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-04-01
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
69/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
A vulnerability was detected in Harvard University IQSS Dataverse up to 6.8. This affects an unknown function of the file /ThemeAndWidgets.xhtml of the component Theme Customization. Performing a manipulation of the argument uploadLogo results in unrestricted upload. Remote exploitation of the attack is possible. The exploit is now public and may be used. Upgrading to version 6.10 mitigates this issue. You should upgrade the affected component. The vendor was contacted early, responded in a very professional manner and quickly released a fixed version of the affected product.

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 · moderate confidence

Unrestricted file upload vulnerability in Harvard IQSS Dataverse's Theme Customization feature (ThemeAndWidgets.xhtml). Attackers can manipulate the uploadLogo argument to upload arbitrary files, potentially achieving remote code execution. This is a remote, publicly exploited vulnerability affecting versions up to 6.8.

MitigationUpgrade Harvard IQSS Dataverse from versions up to 6.8 to version 6.10 to remediate the unrestricted file upload vulnerability.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
Low

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L

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. Identify the installed Dataverse version
    Check the application or system documentation for the Harvard IQSS Dataverse version number, typically found in the admin interface, about page, or version file
    Affected if The installed version is 6.8 or earlier (any version up to and including 6.8 is affected)
  2. Verify Theme Customization feature access
    Confirm whether the ThemeAndWidgets.xhtml endpoint is accessible by attempting to access the theme customization page in the admin or theme settings area of the application
    Affected if The theme customization feature is exposed without proper authentication or authorization controls
  3. Inspect uploaded theme files
    Examine the directory where theme uploads (logos, favicons) are stored. Look for file types that should not be permitted such as .jsp, .php, .exe, .sh, or other executable extensions
    Affected if Unexpected file types exist in the theme upload directory, especially executable or script files that were not intentionally uploaded by administrators
  4. Check web server logs for uploadLogo parameter abuse
    Review application and web server access logs for requests containing 'uploadLogo' parameter or theme upload endpoints with unusual file extensions or suspicious payloads
    Affected if Logs show requests to uploadLogo with unexpected file types or patterns indicating successful arbitrary file uploads
  5. Review theme configuration storage
    Inspect the database or configuration files storing theme settings for references to non-image files in logo or theme-related fields
    Affected if Theme configuration contains references to executable or script files rather than only image formats

A user is affected if they are running Harvard IQSS Dataverse version 6.8 or earlier AND the Theme Customization feature (ThemeAndWidgets.xhtml) is accessible, allowing upload of arbitrary files including executables.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade Harvard IQSS Dataverse from versions up to 6.8 to version 6.10 to remediate the unrestricted file upload vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

Dataverse version 6.10

  1. 1. Back up the current Dataverse installation and database before proceeding with any upgrade.
  2. 2. Review the official Harvard IQSS Dataverse upgrade documentation for version 6.9 and 6.10.
  3. 3. Upgrade Dataverse from version 6.8 or earlier to version 6.10 following the standard upgrade procedure.
  4. 4. After upgrade, verify the Theme Customization functionality works correctly.
  5. 5. Confirm the /ThemeAndWidgets.xhtml component no longer allows unrestricted file uploads by testing with authorized uploads only.
Caveat Review upgrade notes for any configuration changes required between 6.8 and 6.10; test in non-production environment first

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,224.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-1879 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2026-1879 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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