Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessAuthenticate as Grav editor
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DeliveryCraft traversal sequences in Markdown watermark parameter
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ExploitSave malicious page triggering watermark render
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ExecutionCMS reads and composites traversed server file into cached image
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ImpactRetrieve disclosed file content via public cache URL
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V5 - File Handling Path canonicalization, traversal prevention
MITRE ATT&CK
2 techniques across 2 tactics: Discovery, Collection The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires the attacker to hold an authenticated Grav editor (or higher-privilege) account on the target installation - the traversal path is injected through editor-authored Markdown image syntax specifying the watermark parameter in page content. The Grav instance must have image watermark processing active and reachable through the content editing workflow; instances where the watermark feature is disabled are not exploitable via this path. File disclosure is bounded by the OS-level filesystem permissions of the PHP/web server process (e.g., www-data): only files readable by that process account can be exfiltrated, limiting access to configuration files, application secrets, and other assets within that permission scope. Once the malicious page is saved and rendered, the composited cache image becomes accessible at a public, unauthenticated URL - meaning any anonymous visitor can retrieve the disclosed file without additional attacker involvement. Sites with no external or untrusted editors, or those operating the server process under tightly restricted OS permissions, face substantially lower practical risk than multi-tenant Grav deployments. |
| Impact | The provided CVSS 4.0 vector assigns PR:N (no privileges required), yielding a score of 8.7, but this directly contradicts the CVE description, which states exploitation is performed by 'an editor authoring Markdown image syntax' - implying authenticated editor-level access is a prerequisite. This discrepancy is material: PR:N would imply unauthenticated remote file disclosure against any Grav instance, while the description constrains the attack to credentialed editors. The accurate privilege level is PR:L, which meaningfully reduces real-world exposure and should be independently verified against GHSA-w3f4-8pj2-599w. CVE-2026-69089 is not in CISA KEV and no public exploit code has been identified; EPSS data was not provided. The confidentiality impact is genuinely high - the traversal can reach any file readable by the PHP/web server process - but is bounded by OS-level filesystem permissions. Risk is highest for multi-tenant deployments with external or untrusted editors and lowest for single-author or small trusted-team installations where the editor role cannot be obtained by an adversary. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker holding a Grav editor account composes a Markdown image directive embedding path traversal sequences in the watermark parameter - for example, targeting ../../config/security.yaml or other credential and configuration files readable by the web server process. When the page is saved and rendered, ImageMedium::watermark() processes the unsanitized path, reads the target file outside the media sandbox via the resource locator, and the image compositing layer embeds the file's binary content into a generated output image. The resulting cached file is then accessible at a predictable public URL, enabling any unauthenticated visitor to download and extract the disclosed content without further attacker interaction. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Aug 03, 2026
Path traversal in Grav CMS versions before 2.0.11 enables authenticated editors to disclose arbitrary server-side files to unauthenticated visitors through the image watermark feature. The function ImageMedium::watermark() forwards unsanitized editor-controlled input to the resource locator, whose file:// scheme handler normalizes paths using only lexical '..' collapsing - never verifying containment within the media sandbox - so a crafted Markdown image directive causes the CMS to composite a traversed file into a cached image served at a public, unauthenticated URL. No public exploit has been identified at time of analysis; however, the high confidentiality impact and ease of exploitation once editor access is obtained make this a priority patch for multi-tenant Grav deployments with untrusted editors.
RemediationAI
Upgrade Grav CMS to version 2.0.11 or later; this release contains the path traversal fix applied across commits db8c1fcd63aaaf6d6b244bc6b4cfa5f7b96bbc7f, c569a53304cd7d95ff21bffa6fc590adcf0be83d, and b282200a65ce979377963180629babd2335212ba (https://github.com/getgrav/grav/commit/db8c1fcd63aaaf6d6b244bc6b4cfa5f7b96bbc7f), with the full advisory at https://github.com/getgrav/grav/security/advisories/GHSA-w3f4-8pj2-599w. If immediate patching is not feasible, restrict the Grav editor role exclusively to fully trusted users, which eliminates the threat from external contributors - note this is an access-control mitigation, not a code fix, and the underlying flaw persists. As a secondary compensating control, disable the watermark feature in Grav's media configuration to remove the vulnerable code path entirely; the trade-off is loss of watermark functionality for all editors until the patch is applied. Additionally, ensure the PHP and web server process runs under a dedicated OS user with tightly scoped filesystem permissions (principle of least privilege), which limits the reach of any successful traversal to only files readable by that user.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 2 packages in composer, euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
The vulnerability resides in Grav CMS's media subsystem, specifically in the ImageMedium::watermark() method, which accepts an $image argument and passes it without sanitization to RocketTheme\Toolbox\ResourceLocator\UniformResourceLocator::findResource(). The file:// scheme branch in that locator performs only lexical '..' segment collapsing - normalizing the string representation of the path without calling realpath() or verifying that the resolved path remains inside the permitted media directory. This is a textbook CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory) root cause: the absence of a post-normalization containment check. The affected product is catalogued as CPE cpe:2.3:a:getgrav:grav:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* for all releases before 2.0.11. Grav is a flat-file PHP CMS where editors embed image watermark references directly in Markdown page content, making the $image parameter fully editor-controlled and trivially weaponizable once an attacker holds an editor account.
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Severity by source
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Editor-level authentication required per description (PR:L); scope changes (S:C) because files outside the media sandbox are disclosed to unauthenticated visitors beyond the vulnerable component.
Primary rating from Vendor (VulnCheck).
CVSS VectorVendor: VulnCheck
DescriptionCVE.org
Grav CMS 2.0.10 contains a path traversal vulnerability in ImageMedium::watermark(), which passes its unsanitized $image argument to RocketTheme\Toolbox\ResourceLocator\UniformResourceLocator::findResource(). Because the file:// scheme branch only lexically collapses '..' segments without a realpath/containment check, an editor authoring Markdown image syntax with traversal sequences can cause arbitrary image files outside Grav's media sandbox to be composited into a carrier image, which is then cached and served from a public, unauthenticated URL - disclosing those files to anonymous visitors.
Executive ViewAI
Grav CMS versions before 2.0.11 contain a path traversal vulnerability in the image watermark feature that enables unauthorized file disclosure to unauthenticated users. While exploitation requires an authenticated editor account, the ease of the attack and broad confidentiality impact create significant risk for organizations operating multi-tenant Grav deployments with untrusted content creators. Immediate patching is essential to prevent unauthorized exposure of sensitive server-side files.
Apply vendor patch.
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
Path traversal exploits occur when applications use user-controlled input to construct file system paths without proper validation.
Server-side template injection (SSTI) in Grav (getgrav/grav) prior to 1.8.0-beta.27 allows an authenticated attacker hol
Broken access control in Grav CMS (CWE-285) before 1.8.0-beta.27 lets an authenticated editor-level user escalate their
A Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerability in Grav CMS v1.7.48 allows an authenticated admin to upload a malicious plug
Grav is a file-based Web platform. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low a
GravCMS 1.10.7 allows unauthenticated remote attackers to write arbitrary YAML configuration files, leading to full serv
Remote code execution in Grav CMS 2.0.4 (fixed in 2.0.7) lets an authenticated user holding the admin.pages or api.pages
Remote code execution in Grav CMS before 2.0.15 allows attackers holding page-edit or blueprint-config privileges to wri
Vertical privilege escalation in Grav CMS before 2.0.14 lets a delegated administrator holding only the admin.users perm
Stored cross-site scripting in Grav CMS before 2.0.15 lets authenticated editors smuggle JavaScript event handlers past
Server-side request forgery (SSRF) in Grav CMS versions prior to 1.7.49.5 allows remote authenticated attackers to make
Grav is a file-based Web platform. Prior to 1.8.0-beta.27, Grav CMS is vulnerable to a Server-Side Template Injection (S
Remote code execution in Grav CMS before 2.0.13 allows authenticated low-privilege users to plant and execute arbitrary
EUVD-2026-52282
GHSA-mmwh-j75q-gxp8
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
VulDB
Exploit-DB