K2Application · Joomlaworks
CVE-2026-48946
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 · uneditedThe K2 frontend article-attachment upload path accepts files whose extension is `.php`, and Apache's standard mod_php matches `\.php$` and executes them under the K2 web user. A K2 Author can upload a `shell.php`, then fetch `/media/k2/attachments/shell.php` and execute arbitrary PHP code in the web server's context.
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 confidenceThe K2 Joomla component allows authenticated Authors to upload file attachments without proper extension filtering, permitting .php files to be stored in /media/k2/attachments/. Apache with mod_php automatically executes these files when accessed, enabling remote code execution under the web server's user context.
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
K2Application
<= 2.26CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify K2 component versionAccess Joomla administrator panel, navigate to Components > K2, and check the version number displayed, or inspect the component's manifest/version file in the filesystemAffected if The installed K2 version is 2.26 or lower (the vulnerable version range)
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Confirm attachments directory existsCheck if the /media/k2/attachments/ directory exists in the Joomla installation root. This is the upload location where vulnerable files could be storedAffected if The directory exists and is writable, allowing file uploads to be stored there
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Inspect Apache PHP handler configurationReview Apache configuration files (httpd.conf, vhost config) and check for 'AddHandler' or 'SetHandler' directives that map .php files to mod_php. Also check if 'php_flag engine off' or 'RemoveHandler' is present for the attachments directoryAffected if Apache is configured with mod_php and there are no restrictions preventing PHP execution in /media/k2/attachments/ (no RemoveHandler or php_flag engine off)
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Check for protective .htaccessExamine the /media/k2/attachments/ directory for an existing .htaccess file containing 'RemoveHandler .php' or 'php_flag engine off' directives that would block PHP executionAffected if No restrictive .htaccess exists in /media/k2/attachments/ - the absence of such a file means PHP files could be executed if uploaded
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Review Author-level upload permissionsIn Joomla admin, go to Users > Access Levels or K2 parameters and verify if the 'Author' user group has permission to add or edit items with attachments in K2Affected if Authors have permission to upload file attachments in K2, allowing them to potentially upload malicious PHP files
A user is affected if they run K2 version 2.26 or lower, the /media/k2/attachments/ directory exists and is writable, Authors can upload attachments, and Apache with mod_php is configured without blocking PHP execution in that directory.
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.
From vendor dataBlock PHP execution in the /media/k2/attachments/ directory using .htaccess with 'php_flag engine off' or RemoveHandler directives, and implement server-side extension validation in the upload handler.
Fix this in K2
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 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 $1,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-48946 — 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-2026-48946 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