Date: 
Wednesday, Aug 7th, 2019
Advisory ID: 
BACKDROP-SA-CORE-2019-012
Security risk: 
Critical
Vulnerabilities: 
  • Information Disclosure
  • Remote Code Execution
Versions affected: 
  • Backdrop Core 1.13.x versions prior to 1.13.3
  • Backdrop Core 1.12.x versions prior to 1.12.8
Description: 

Backdrop CMS allows the upload of entire-site configuration archives through the user interface or command-line. Backdrop CMS does not sufficiently check uploaded archives for invalid data, allowing non-configuration scripts to potentially be uploaded to the server.

This attack is mitigated by the attacker needing the "Synchronize, import, and export configuration" permission, a permission that only trusted administrators should be given. Other preventative measures in Backdrop CMS prevent the execution of PHP scripts, so another server-side scripting language must be accessible on the server to execute code.

Solution: 

Upgrade your site to the most recent version of Backdrop core. Download available on the Backdrop CMS 1.13.3 release page. See the update instructions, if needed.

Fixed By: 
Coordinated By: 

Security email list

Backdrop maintains a security mailing list. Whenever a security release comes out, an email will be sent to everyone subscribed to that list, announcing the new release. Please follow the steps below to join the Security email list.

  1. Log in to backdropcms.org
  2. Edit your profile
  3. Switch to the "Subscriptions" tab
  4. Check the box labeled "Security updates"
  5. Save the form