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CVE-2017-9067· NVD / CVE Program· CNA mitre

In MODX Revolution before 2.5.7, when PHP 5.3.3 is used, an attacker is able to include and execute arbitrary files on the web server due to

In MODX Revolution before 2.5.7, when PHP 5.3.3 is used, an attacker is able to include and execute arbitrary files on the web server due to insufficient validation of the action parameter to setup/index.php, aka directory traversal.

HighCVSS 7.0 · v3.0—No exploit Fix available
Published
May 18, 2017
Updated
Jun 16, 2026
EPSS
0.8% · 56th percentile
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Report tools

JSON

Action score

28

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
28 / 40 · 7.0 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.8%

Affected systems

VendorProduct
modxmodx revolution
phpphp

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • php php5.3.3

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Packagistmodx/revolutionbefore 2.5.72.5.7

Same product

modx: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2018-1000207MODX Revolution version <=2.6.4 contains a Incorrect Access Control vulnerability in Filtering user parameters before passing them into phpt
    47Plan
  • CVE-2017-7324setup/templates/findcore.php in MODX Revolution 2.5.4-pl and earlier allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary PHP code via the core_path
    40Plan
  • CVE-2017-7321setup/controllers/welcome.php in MODX Revolution 2.5.4-pl and earlier allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary PHP code via the config_k
    40Plan
  • CVE-2020-25911A XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability was discovered in the modRestServiceRequest component in MODX CMS 2.7.3 which can lead to an infor
    37Monitor
  • CVE-2017-9069In MODX Revolution before 2.5.7, a user with file upload permissions is able to execute arbitrary code by uploading a file with the name .ht
    36Monitor
  • CVE-2017-7323The (1) update and (2) package-installation features in MODX Revolution 2.5.4-pl and earlier use http://rest.modx.com by default, which allo
    33Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
Packagist:modx/revolution2.5.7Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

No nightly-computed relations.

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it.
  • A low-privileged account is enough.
  • No user action is required.
  • Special conditions such as timing or configuration are required.

If successful

Confidentiality
high · data can be read
Integrity
high · data or configuration can be modified
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted
Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
High
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
High
Integrity impact
High
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

nvd-primary

Root cause

A user-supplied file name is joined with the allowed directory, but the result is never checked to confirm it is still inside that directory.

The bug in code

The whole CWE-22 class

A representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.

Vulnerable

ts
const file = path.join(ROOT, req.query.name);res.sendFile(file);

Fixed

ts
const file = path.resolve(ROOT, req.query.name);if (!file.startsWith(ROOT + path.sep)) {  return res.sendStatus(400);}res.sendFile(file);

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

ATT&CK techniques

—

Noroxi analysis

No Noroxi analysis for this record yet

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Change log

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

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References

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records