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How the Mentioned CVE Works
The vulnerability is an authenticated remote code execution (RCE) flaw in the Kentico Xperience CMS. It resides in the Staging Sync Server, a component used for synchronizing content between environments. To exploit this, the Staging Service must be enabled and configured to use username/password authentication, which is a common setup. The issue stems from insufficient validation of user-supplied data during the staging sync process. An authenticated attacker with access to the Staging Sync Server can upload arbitrary files to path-relative locations. By manipulating the file upload path, the attacker can perform a path traversal attack, escaping the intended upload directory. This allows them to write files to arbitrary directories on the web server. The attacker can then upload a malicious file, such as a web shell (e.g., an ASPX file), containing server-side executable code. If the file is uploaded to a location accessible via the web, the attacker can trigger its execution by sending an HTTP request. This chain of actions—authenticated access, path traversal, arbitrary file upload, and remote execution—leads to full server compromise. The vulnerability affects all Kentico Xperience versions up to and including 13.0.178. The issue was discovered by Piotr Bazydlo of watchTowr and is tracked under watchTowr’s internal IDs WT-2025-0006, WT-2025-0007, and WT-2025-0011. Kentico released a fix in version 13.0.178, which should be applied immediately to mitigate the risk.
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Platform: Kentico Xperience
Version: <=13.0.178
Vulnerability: RCE via Staging
Severity: HIGH
Date: 2025-03-26
Prediction: Patched 2025-04-02
What Undercode Say:
The watchTowr team detailed how two authentication bypasses (WT-2025-0006 and WT-2025-0011) can be chained with a post-authentication RCE to achieve pre-auth RCE. The attack exploits the Staging Sync Server’s file handling. Below are key technical insights and commands.
Identify vulnerable Kentico instances nmap -p 80,443 --script http- | grep -i "kentico" Check if staging is enabled (requires authenticated session) curl -k -X GET "https://target/CMSPages/Staging/SyncServer.asmx" -H "Authorization: Bearer <token>" Exploit snippet for path traversal upload (illustrative) curl -k -X POST "https://target/CMSPages/Staging/SyncServer.asmx/UploadMediaFile" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer <token>" \ -F "[email protected]" \ -F "path=../../../Modules/" Trigger the uploaded web shell curl -k "https://target/Modules/shell.aspx?cmd=whoami"
How Exploit:
- Authentication: Obtain valid credentials for a user with access to the Staging Sync Server.
- Path Traversal: In the file upload request, manipulate the `path` parameter to include `../` sequences, escaping the base directory.
- Upload Malicious File: Upload a web shell (e.g., an ASPX file) using the traversed path to place it in a web-accessible directory.
- Trigger RCE: Send an HTTP GET request to the uploaded web shell, executing arbitrary commands on the server.
Protection from this CVE:
- Patch Immediately: Upgrade to Kentico Xperience version 13.0.178 or later, which contains the official fix.
- Disable Staging Service: If not required, disable the Staging Service entirely.
- Restrict Authentication: If the Staging Service is necessary, enforce X.509 certificate-based authentication instead of username/password.
- Network Segmentation: Place the CMS in a segmented network zone with strict firewall rules to limit access to the Staging endpoint.
- Monitor Logs: Regularly audit staging synchronization logs for suspicious upload or path traversal attempts.
Impact:
- Confidentiality: Full server compromise, leading to exposure of sensitive data.
- Integrity: Ability to modify or delete any file on the server, including system files.
- Availability: Potential for denial-of-service or ransomware attacks.
- Scope: Affects all versions up to 13.0.178, with widespread impact on enterprise deployments using default staging configurations.
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Reported By: www.cve.org
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