CVE-2022-25769
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2022-25769 is an improper access control vulnerability in Mautic's .htaccess file that allows attackers to execute arbitrary PHP files by bypassing filename restrictions. This affects Mautic installations with default configurations, potentially leading to remote code execution. All Mautic users running vulnerable versions are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Mautic
📦 What is this software?
Mautic by Acquia
Mautic by Acquia
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Remote code execution leading to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, and persistent backdoor installation.
Likely Case
Unauthorized PHP file execution allowing attackers to upload and execute malicious scripts, potentially gaining web server privileges.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper web application firewalls, file integrity monitoring, and restricted file uploads in place.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires ability to upload or write PHP files to the web root, but the vulnerability makes it easier to execute them once present.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 4.2.0 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/mautic/mautic/security/advisories/GHSA-mj6m-246h-9w56
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Backup your Mautic installation and database. 2. Update to Mautic 4.2.0 or later via the update mechanism or manual installation. 3. Verify the .htaccess file has been updated with proper path checking regex.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Manual .htaccess patch
allUpdate the .htaccess regex to properly check full paths instead of just filenames
Edit the .htaccess file in your Mautic root directory and update the FilesMatch directive to include path checking
Restrict PHP execution
linuxUse web server configuration to restrict PHP execution to specific directories
Add 'php_admin_flag engine off' to Apache configuration for vulnerable directories
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block suspicious PHP file execution patterns
- Enable file integrity monitoring on web directories and restrict file upload capabilities
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if .htaccess contains regex patterns that only match filenames without full path checking in FilesMatch directivesCheck Version:
Check Mautic version in admin panel or via 'grep -r 'MAUTIC_VERSION' app/config/parameters.php'Verify Fix Applied:
Verify .htaccess has been updated with proper regex patterns that check full file paths📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual PHP file execution in web logs
- Access to PHP files that should be restricted
- 404 errors for PHP files followed by successful execution
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests to unexpected PHP files
- POST requests to PHP files with suspicious parameters
SIEM Query:
web_access_logs | where url contains '.php' and not url contains allowed_php_files | where response_code = 200