CVE-2026-63190

FearlessCMS: Unauthenticated debug scripts expose filesystem operations and XSS

State
Published
Severity
9.4 Critical
Published
Oct 28, 2026
Updated
Oct 29, 2026
Reserved
Jul 15, 2026

Read the record on cve.org

Description

FearlessCMS is a flat-file `content` management system centered on simplicity and open source. Prior to version 0.1.4, five debug/test PHP scripts under `admin/` perform privileged operations without `isLoggedIn()` authentication checks, CSRF protection or adequate `path` validation. On PHP's built-in development server, including the default Docker deployment, `router.php` checks an unnormalized admin URI prefix while the filesystem resolves dot segments, so `/./admin/` bypasses the admin login gate and executes those scripts directly. In `admin/debug_save_flow.php`, attacker-controlled `path` and `content` reach `file_put_contents` for arbitrary `.md` writes under `content`/ or outside it through `path` traversal, enabling site defacement and stored JavaScript in public pages; `print_r($_POST)` output without `htmlspecialchars` escaping also causes reflected cross-site scripting. The `admin/debug_content.php` `path` parameter reaches `scandir()`, `file_get_contents()` and `posix_getpwuid()`, permitting arbitrary directory enumeration and `.md` file reads that expose absolute paths, ownership, permissions, hashes and `content` previews. The `admin/preview-handler.php` endpoint accepts JSON `content` and `title` and writes enumerable files under `content/_preview/`, enabling stored cross-site scripting and disk exhaustion. The `admin/testdebug.php` endpoint appends to `admin/testdebug.log` without authentication, also enabling disk exhaustion. The `admin/test_redirect.php` script exposes a test artifact but escapes its inputs and is not itself an XSS sink. Stored script execution can steal sessions and compromise administrators when they view affected `content`. Reads and writes execute with PHP's privileges; the tested deployment runs PHP as root, amplifying filesystem impact. This issue is fixed in version 0.1.4.

Scores

CVSSScoreVectorSource
3.19.4 CriticalCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:LGitHub_M

Weaknesses

  • CWE-306 Missing Authentication for Critical Function
  • CWE-288 Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel
  • CWE-22 Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
  • CWE-79 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
  • CWE-200 Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor

Affected Products

ProductVersions
FearlessCMSfearlessgeekmedia
  • < 0.1.4Affected

References

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