CVE-2026-23697: File Upload RCE (CVSS 8.8)

Description

Vtiger CRM before 8.4.0 contains an authenticated file upload vulnerability that allows low-privileged users to achieve remote code execution by uploading a .phar file containing arbitrary PHP code through the Documents module, bypassing the extension denylist in config.inc.php which omits the .phar extension. The uploaded file is stored with its original .phar extension under the web-accessible storage directory, and a misconfigured .htaccess using Apache 2.2 syntax is silently ignored on Apache 2.4 deployments, allowing unauthenticated HTTP requests to directly execute the uploaded PHP payload.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

8.8

HIGH

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0076

Probability of exploitation

0.51%

Percentile rank

EPSS estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A higher score means more likely to be exploited.

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-434 Unrestricted Upload

References

Other References

https://jivasecurity.com/writeups/vtiger-rce-phar-upload-cve-2026-23697 https://www.vtiger.com/ https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/vtiger-crm-authenticated-file-upload-rce-via-documents-module

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-23697? +

Vtiger CRM before 8.4.0 contains an authenticated file upload vulnerability that allows low-privileged users to achieve remote code execution by uploading a .phar file containing arbitrary PHP code through the Documents module, bypassing the extension denylist in config.inc.php which omits the .phar extension. The uploaded file is stored with its original .phar extension under the web-accessible storage directory, and a misconfigured .htaccess using Apache 2.2 syntax is silently ignored on Apache 2.4 deployments, allowing unauthenticated HTTP requests to directly execute the uploaded PHP payload. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (HIGH).

How severe is CVE-2026-23697? +

CVE-2026-23697 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 8.8 out of 10, rated HIGH. This is a high-severity vulnerability that should be prioritized for patching. The EPSS score is 0.0076, placing it in the 1th percentile for exploitation probability.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-23697? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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