CVE-2025-68454: Craft CMS vulnerable to potential authenticated Remote Code Execution via Twig SSTI
Craft is a platform for creating digital experiences. Versions 5.0.0-RC1 through 5.8.20 and 4.0.0-RC1 through 4.16.16 are vulnerable to potential authenticated Remote Code Execution via Twig SSTI. For this to work, users must have administrator access to the Craft Control Panel, and allowAdminChanges must be enabled, which is against Craft CMS' recommendations for any non-dev environment. Alternatively, a non-administrator account with allowAdminChanges disabled can be used, provided access to the System Messages utility is available. It is possible to craft a malicious payload using the Twig map filter in text fields that accept Twig input under Settings in the Craft control panel or using the System Messages utility, which could lead to a RCE. Users should update to the patched versions (5.8.21 and 4.16.17) to mitigate the issue.
Other sources
For this to work, users must have administrator access to the Craft Control Panel, and allowAdminChanges must be enabled for this to work, which is against Craft CMS' recommendations for any non-dev environment.
https://craftcms.com/knowledge-base/securing-craft#set-allowAdminChanges-to-false-in-production
Alternatively, a non-administrator account with allowAdminChanges disabled can be used, provided access to the System Messages utility is available.
It is possible to craft a malicious payload using the Twig map filter in text fields that accept Twig input under Settings in the Craft control panel or using the System Messages utility, which could lead to a RCE.
Users should update to the patched versions (5.8.21 and 4.16.17) to mitigate the issue.
References:
https://github.com/craftcms/cms/commit/d82680f4a05f9576883bb83c3f6243d33ca73ebe
https://github.com/craftcms/cms/blob/5.x/CHANGELOG.md#5821---2025-12-04
— GitHub
Affected Software
Remediation
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2025-68454?
CVE-2025-68454 is classified as a high-severity vulnerability affecting Craft CMS when specific access configurations are enabled.
How do I fix CVE-2025-68454?
To fix CVE-2025-68454, upgrade Craft CMS to version 4.16.17 or 5.8.21, ensuring that the allowAdminChanges setting is disabled in non-development environments.
Which versions of Craft CMS are affected by CVE-2025-68454?
CVE-2025-68454 affects Craft CMS versions from 4.0.0-RC1 up to 4.16.16 and 5.0.0-RC1 up to 5.8.20.
What conditions must be met for CVE-2025-68454 to be exploited?
CVE-2025-68454 can be exploited if an attacker has administrator access to the Craft Control Panel and the allowAdminChanges option is enabled.
Is it safe to use Craft CMS with the allowAdminChanges setting enabled?
No, enabling the allowAdminChanges setting in non-development environments poses a security risk and is not recommended.