CVE-2025-3816
📋 TL;DR
This critical vulnerability in westboy CicadasCMS 2.0 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary operating system commands through the Scheduled Task Handler component. Attackers can exploit this to gain unauthorized access, modify data, or compromise the entire system. All installations of CicadasCMS 2.0 with the vulnerable component exposed are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- westboy CicadasCMS
📦 What is this software?
Cicadascms by Westboy
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full system compromise allowing attacker to execute arbitrary commands with system privileges, potentially leading to data theft, ransomware deployment, or complete server takeover.
Likely Case
Unauthorized command execution leading to web server compromise, data exfiltration, or installation of backdoors for persistent access.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper network segmentation, least privilege principles, and command execution restrictions are in place.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploit details have been publicly disclosed on GitHub, making weaponization likely. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable without authentication.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Unknown
Vendor Advisory: None found
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
No official patch available. Consider workarounds or migrating to a different CMS if possible.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Block vulnerable endpoint
allRestrict access to the /system/schedule/save endpoint using web server configuration or WAF rules.
# Apache: RewriteRule ^/system/schedule/save - [F]
# Nginx: location ~ ^/system/schedule/save { deny all; }
Input validation and sanitization
allImplement strict input validation and sanitization for all user inputs passed to the Scheduled Task Handler.
# Implement proper input validation in PHP code
# Example: filter_var($input, FILTER_SANITIZE_STRING);
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement network segmentation to isolate CicadasCMS from critical systems
- Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) with command injection protection rules
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if CicadasCMS version 2.0 is installed and if the /system/schedule/save endpoint is accessible.Check Version:
# Check CicadasCMS version in admin panel or configuration filesVerify Fix Applied:
Test if command injection is possible by attempting to inject commands through the Scheduled Task Handler interface.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to /system/schedule/save
- Commands like 'whoami', 'id', 'ls', 'cat' in request parameters
- Multiple failed command injection attempts
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from web server to external IPs
- Traffic patterns suggesting data exfiltration
SIEM Query:
source="web_server" AND (uri="/system/schedule/save" OR (uri="/system/schedule/save" AND (param="*whoami*" OR param="*id*" OR param="*ls*")))