Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-36425 is a directory traversal flaw reported in phpcms 1.9.25. A remote authenticated attacker could abuse an unfiltered file parameter to delete files outside the intended path. The main business risk is site disruption or data integrity damage, not data theft.
Executive priority
Treat as a moderate-priority CMS integrity and availability issue. Prioritize internet-facing or business-critical sites first, especially where many users have CMS access.
Technical view
The CVE describes CWE-22 in include/inc_act/act_ftptakeover.php, where a $file parameter reaches unlink without adequate filtering. CVSS 3.1 is 5.4 with network access, low complexity, low privileges, no user interaction, and limited integrity and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to organizations running the cited phpcms/phpwcms 1.9.25 code path. The source bundle does not provide reliable CPEs, vendor metadata, or broader affected-version ranges.
Exploitation context
The CVE is not listed as CISA KEV in the bundle, and no cited source states active exploitation. The scoring indicates exploitation requires some level of authenticated access but no user interaction.
Researcher notes
Evidence is thin: the bundle provides the CVE description, CVSS vector, CWE-22, and a GitHub issue reference, but no confirmed patch, CPE data, or exploit-in-the-wild report. Avoid assuming affected versions beyond 1.9.25.
Mitigation direction
- Check upstream project guidance and issue #311 for a fixed release or workaround.
- Inventory any phpcms/phpwcms 1.9.25 deployments.
- Restrict access to affected administrative or file-management functionality where feasible.
- Back up site files before remediation or testing.
- Monitor for unexpected file deletions or suspicious requests to act_ftptakeover.php.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether version 1.9.25 is deployed.
- Check whether include/inc_act/act_ftptakeover.php exists and is reachable.
- Review access controls for the affected CMS functionality.
- Inspect logs for requests involving act_ftptakeover.php and file parameters.
- Verify remediation against vendor guidance when available.
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-22: File access and web shell behavior lookup
File traversal and upload weaknesses can lead teams to review file, web shell, execution, and collection 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 lookupFile access behavior lookup
The CVE wording references file access or upload behavior, so file telemetry and web shell review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-36425 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
- Medium
- CVSS
- 5.4 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L
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:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L2.82.5Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
5.4MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://github.com/slackero/phpwcms/issues/311CVE reference
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.
Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.