Threats / dotCMS / CVE-2022-26352
CVE-2022-26352
· EUVD no mirror located
· GCVE no mirror located
Verified 2026-08-04
dotCMS vulnerability
dotCMS ContentResource API allows unrestricted file uploads with directory traversal, enabling attackers to write files outside intended directories and achieve remote code execution.
Verdict
Today item, not a backlog item.
An unauthenticated or low-privileged attacker can exploit unsafe file upload handling in the ContentResource API to traverse directories and place executable code on the server, leading to complete system compromise.
CISA KEV Yes · 2022-08-254Ransomware use Flagged4EPSS 0.91079 (verify live)5CVSS 9.8 (CISA)3CISA SSVC Exploitation: active · Automatable: yes · Impact: total3Exploit Weaponized · public exploit · Metasploit module · nuclei template12
01
Is it exploitable?
— the evidence, ranked above the scoreReported exploitation
670 independent public reports of in-the-wild exploitation are cataloged.Distinct reporting sources (vendor, incident response, government); open them for the underlying claims.
Exploited in the wild
Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2022-08-25), flagged for known ransomware use.
Probability (EPSS)
EPSS 0.91079 — modeled likelihood of exploitation activity.EPSS is a daily-changing model output — open the source for today's value.
Severity / affected
CVSS 9.8 (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) · Affected: dotCMS, dotCMS. Confirm exact fixed builds in the vendor advisory.CVSS — CISA-assigned via the ADP container (CVE.org), version 3.1; the CNA left no metrics, so CISA's own score is used ahead of NVD.
Weakness (CWE)
Mapped to CWE-22 Path Traversal, CWE-138 CWE-138 — weakness family: Path traversal / file.CWE assignment from the public NVD record (may be stale); the weakness class drives how the flaw is exploited.
CISA SSVC (triage disposition)
Exploitation: active · Automatable: yes · Technical Impact: totalCISA's own stakeholder-specific triage inputs, published in the CVE record (CISA Coordinator role). NOTE: this is CISA's three decision points; the final Act/Attend/Track decision also requires a Mission & Well-being input not published here, so no overall decision is asserted.
Currency of the record
CISA added this to its KEV catalog 39 days after the CVE record was published.KEV lag = CISA-KEV dateAdded − CVE.org datePublished; a floor on how long the known-exploited flaw sat in the public record before the federal catalog listed it. Severity/weakness here is CNA- or CISA-assigned (current at disclosure), independent of NVD's analysis backlog.
Public exploit available
Public exploit tooling is catalogued for this CVE (a functional/weaponized public exploit). Catalog entries: Metasploit module, nuclei template. We link the catalog page(s) only — no payload or code is hosted or restated here.Link, never host — the catalog page is the source; basicsecurity.net does not redistribute payloads.
02
Who’s exploiting it?
— attribution turns risk into urgencyAttribution not established
No confirmed (advisory-backed) threat-actor attribution is established for this record. Absence of a named actor is not absence of compromise — see Coverage & confidence.
03
Why it matters
— the attack path, told twice: adversary, then board1
Front door — unauthenticated access narrative 1
Attacker
I upload a file with a dangerous type to the ContentResource API without proper validation.
Business
The organization's web server is exposed to unauthorized file write operations.
2
Keys to the kingdom — privilege/identity takeover narrative 2
Attacker
I use directory traversal sequences in the upload path to place my file outside the intended storage location.
Business
Attackers bypass intended access controls and storage isolation mechanisms.
3
Lateral reach — past segmentation narrative 3
Attacker
I write executable code to a web-accessible directory where it will be interpreted by the server.
Business
The organization experiences remote code execution and full infrastructure compromise.
4
Data at risk — exfiltration narrative 4
Attacker
I establish persistence and lateral movement within the compromised environment.
Business
Attackers deploy ransomware, exfiltrate data, or establish long-term access to critical systems.
04
What to do
— defensible action- Remediate per the vendor advisory — confirm the fixed build for your version and verify exposure.1
Say it to the boardA vulnerability with this evidence profile is a defensible budget line, not a backlog ticket — fund the change against the proof above.
05