Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessIdentify Joomla site running Gridbox < 2.20.2
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DeliverySend crafted unauthenticated request to generateNewApp
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ExploitBypass access control check
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ExecutionTrigger recursive directory deletion
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ImpactDestroy site files and availability
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V8 - Authorization Access control enforcement
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique across 1 tactic: Defense Evasion The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires only that a vulnerable Gridbox extension (before 2.20.2) is installed and network-reachable on a Joomla site, and that the generateNewApp method/endpoint is accessible over HTTP. Per the CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N), there are no special conditions - remote unauthenticated exploitation against default configurations of Gridbox for Joomla, with no authentication, user interaction, or specific non-default setting required. The main limiting factors are that the target site must have this specific commercial extension installed and internet-exposed; impact is restricted to availability/data destruction (no data theft or code execution per the vendor vector), and effective destruction depends on the web server's filesystem permissions over the target directories. |
| Impact | The signals converge on high real-world risk for exposed instances: the CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N) describes network-reachable, low-complexity, unauthenticated exploitation with no user interaction, and the tags explicitly cite an authentication bypass. Impact is concentrated in availability (VA:H, SA:H) with no confidentiality or integrity impact per the vendor vector - meaning this is a destructive DoS / data-loss issue, not RCE or data exfiltration, so 'critical' here reflects potential site destruction rather than takeover. Note that recursive file deletion is arguably an integrity impact as well; the official vector scores it purely as availability, which is worth verifying with the vendor. Mitigating the urgency: EPSS is not provided, there is no KEV listing, and no confirmed public proof-of-concept, so exploitation probability cannot be quantified from the available data. The referenced third-party writeup (mysites.guru, 'Gridbox 23 critical vulnerabilities') suggests broad security-research attention to this extension, which typically shortens the window before exploit tooling appears. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker locates a Joomla site running Gridbox below 2.20.2 and sends a single crafted, unauthenticated HTTP request that reaches the generateNewApp method. Because no authentication or path validation is enforced, the method recursively deletes directories under the web application, wiping site files or uploaded content and taking the site offline. No public proof-of-concept is confirmed, but the low attack complexity and lack of required privileges or user interaction make opportunistic mass-scanning plausible once tooling exists. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Jul 29, 2026
Arbitrary recursive directory deletion in the Gridbox extension for Joomla (versions before 2.20.2) lets remote unauthenticated attackers destroy directory trees on the server through the exposed generateNewApp method, which fails to enforce access control (authentication bypass). Rated CVSS 4.0 9.2 (Critical) with a high availability impact on both the vulnerable component and subsequent systems, this is a data-destruction / denial-of-service flaw rather than a code-execution or data-theft one. There is no public exploit identified at time of analysis and it is not listed in CISA KEV.
RemediationAI
Vendor-released patch: upgrade Gridbox to version 2.20.2 or later, which is the first fixed release per the '< 2.20.2' affected range. Obtain the update from the vendor at https://www.balbooa.com/gridbox and apply it through Joomla's extension update mechanism. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict network access to the Joomla administrator and extension endpoints (for example via web-server IP allowlisting or a WAF rule blocking requests that invoke the generateNewApp task/method), accepting that this may interfere with legitimate remote administration; alternatively, disable or uninstall the Gridbox extension until it is updated, with the trade-off that any pages built with Gridbox will stop rendering. Ensure current, tested off-server backups exist so that any directory deletion can be recovered, since the primary impact is destructive data loss.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
Gridbox is a commercial drag-and-drop page-builder extension for the Joomla CMS, developed by balbooa.com. The vulnerable code path is the generateNewApp method, which is reachable without authentication and performs directory removal operations without validating the caller's identity or constraining the target path. The root cause is classified as CWE-284 (Improper Access Control): a privileged, state-changing filesystem operation is exposed to unauthenticated actors. Because Joomla extensions run within the CMS's web root under the web server's privileges, a recursive delete driven by attacker input can remove application files, uploaded media, and potentially adjacent directories, mapping directly to the vendor's high availability rating for both the component and subsequent systems.
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Severity by source
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:H/AU:Y
Unauthenticated network-reachable method with low complexity (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N); impact is destructive data loss scored as availability (A:H) with no confidentiality or integrity per the vendor framing.
Primary rating from Vendor (Joomla).
CVSS VectorVendor: Joomla
DescriptionCVE.org
Joomla Extension - balbooa.com - Unauthenticated recursive directory deletion < 2.20.2 - The generateNewApp method allows actors to recursively delete directories.
Executive ViewAI
The Gridbox extension for Joomla (versions before 2.20.2) contains a critical vulnerability allowing unauthenticated remote attackers to delete arbitrary directory trees on affected servers, resulting in potential data loss and service unavailability. Organizations running this extension are at immediate risk of complete operational disruption through a single malicious request. No patch is currently available, requiring urgent containment measures.
No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations: disable or remove the Gridbox extension entirely, restrict network access to the Joomla administrative interface, deploy Web Application Firewall rules blocking the vulnerable generateNewApp endpoint, implement filesystem integrity monitoring with alerting on unexpected deletions, and maintain verified offline backups separated from production systems.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.
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EUVD-2026-50334
GHSA-p2r5-9v5x-pf34
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB