Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
TYPO3 stored user session identifiers in cleartext in affected 9.x and 10.x releases. The issue is not directly exploitable by itself, but it can turn another compromise, such as database access through a separate flaw, into account takeover risk. The vendor fix is to update to TYPO3 9.5.23 or 10.4.10.
Executive priority
Prioritize remediation for internet-facing or business-critical TYPO3 sites, especially if they have plugins, custom code, or known database exposure paths. The issue needs another weakness to become exploitable, but the business impact can be serious because stolen session identifiers can affect confidentiality and integrity.
Technical view
CVE-2020-26228 is a CWE-312 cleartext storage issue in TYPO3.CMS. Affected versions stored session identifiers without additional cryptographic hashing. CVSS 3.1 is 8.1 with high attack complexity, reflecting that exploitation requires a chained condition rather than direct remote triggering.
Likely exposure
Organizations running TYPO3.CMS >= 9.0.0 and < 9.5.23, or >= 10.0.0 and < 10.4.10, are in scope. Risk is highest where session storage, database contents, backups, or another component can be accessed through a separate vulnerability.
Exploitation context
The source bundle states this cannot be exploited directly and occurs with a chained attack, such as SQL injection in another component. No provided source reports active exploitation, and the CVE is not listed as KEV in the bundle.
Researcher notes
Focus validation on version confirmation and chained exposure paths. The advisory frames the vulnerability as cleartext session identifier storage, not a standalone remote exploit. CVSS vector is AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, supporting high impact with high complexity.
Mitigation direction
- Update affected TYPO3 9.x systems to at least 9.5.23.
- Update affected TYPO3 10.x systems to at least 10.4.10.
- Review TYPO3 vendor advisory guidance before applying production changes.
- Treat exposed session storage as sensitive and rotate sessions after remediation.
- Investigate separate vulnerabilities that could expose database or session data.
Validation and detection
- Inventory all TYPO3.CMS instances and record exact versions.
- Compare versions against the affected ranges in the advisory.
- Confirm upgraded systems report TYPO3 9.5.23 or 10.4.10 as applicable.
- Check whether any database or backup exposure occurred before remediation.
- Review logs for suspicious authenticated activity after possible session exposure.
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-312: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. 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 lookupDatabase behavior lookup
The CVE wording references database injection or access, so collection and exfiltration review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2020-26228 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
- High
- CVSS
- 8.1 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/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.
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:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H2.25.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
8.1HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://github.com/TYPO3/TYPO3.CMS/security/advisories/GHSA-954j-f27r-cj52CVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://typo3.org/security/advisory/typo3-core-sa-2020-011CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
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.
Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information
Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.