Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2019-9874 lets an unauthenticated attacker potentially take control of vulnerable Sitecore systems by abusing unsafe data deserialization in the AntiCSRF module. The CVSS 9.8 rating and CISA KEV listing make this a high-urgency issue for any organization still running affected Sitecore versions.
Executive priority
Treat this as immediate remediation work for affected Sitecore assets. The issue enables unauthenticated code execution, has critical severity, and appears in CISA KEV, so delay increases business risk.
Technical view
The flaw is CWE-502 deserialization of untrusted .NET data in Sitecore.Security.AntiCSRF. Sources describe remote, unauthenticated arbitrary code execution through the AntiCSRF token handling path in Sitecore CMS 7.0-7.2 and Sitecore XP 7.5-8.2.
Likely exposure
Highest exposure is internet-facing Sitecore CMS 7.0-7.2 or Sitecore XP 7.5-8.2. Internal deployments also matter if reachable by unauthenticated users or compromised network paths.
Exploitation context
CISA lists CVE-2019-9874 in the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, supporting active exploitation. The provided sources do not include campaign details, exploit volume, or precise fixed-version guidance.
Researcher notes
The CVE record and Synacktiv advisory identify unsafe .NET deserialization in AntiCSRF handling. The provided bundle lacks exact fixed versions, so validation should pair version discovery with official Sitecore download or advisory materials.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory Sitecore CMS 7.0-7.2 and Sitecore XP 7.5-8.2 deployments.
- Apply the relevant Sitecore vendor update or supported upgrade from official Sitecore guidance.
- Restrict unauthenticated access to exposed Sitecore services where operationally possible.
- Prioritize vulnerable internet-facing systems before lower-reach internal systems.
- Review CISA KEV due-date expectations if your organization follows BOD-style remediation.
Validation and detection
- Confirm product family and version for every Sitecore instance.
- Check whether the Sitecore.Security.AntiCSRF module is present on affected systems.
- Review web logs for suspicious unauthenticated POST activity to Sitecore endpoints.
- Verify remediation by confirming the installed Sitecore build against vendor guidance.
- Document any compensating controls for systems not immediately upgraded.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-502: Code execution behavior lookup
Code execution and unsafe deserialization weaknesses often justify reviewing execution behavior and process telemetry. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupExecution behavior lookup
The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2019-9874 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Critical
- CVSS
- 9.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- Yes
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CISA KEV status
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H3.95.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
9.8CriticalVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://dev.sitecore.net/Downloads.aspxCVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://www.synacktiv.com/blog.htmlCVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://www.synacktiv.com/ressources/advisories/Sitecore_CSRF_deserialize_RCE.pdfCVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2019-9874CVE reference · government-resource
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Deserialization of Untrusted Data
Deserialization of Untrusted Data represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.