CVE-2021-32648 — October CMS Improper Authentication
octobercms in a CMS platform based on the Laravel PHP Framework. In affected versions of the october/system package an attacker can request an account password reset and then gain access to the account using a specially crafted request. The issue has been patched in Build 472 and v1.1.5.
Who exploits it and how urgent it is
A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.
How the score was calculated
- Confirmed exploitation (CISA KEV)+35
- Public exploit/PoC (nuclei, github)+10
- EPSS 90.4% (30-day exploitation probability)+15
- Technical severity (critical)+10
- Automatable exploitation (SSVC)+3
The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).
Triage
Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.
CISA SSVC assessment CISA
Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.
Remediation
Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.
- Documented patch — github.com (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
- Documented patch — github.com (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
- Documented patch — github.com (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
- Composer October/system: fixed in version 1.0.472 — github.com (GitHub Security Advisories)
- Composer October/system: fixed in version 1.1.5 — github.com (GitHub Security Advisories)
CISA required action CISA
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
US federal deadline: Feb 1, 2022 — passed 1718 day(s) ago
First 24 hours
Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.
- Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Octobercms October, Composer October/system).
- Treat as emergency remediation: the CVE is in CISA KEV (confirmed exploitation).
- The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
- Apply the fixed version or the patch documented under Remediation.
- EPSS ahead of 100% of scored CVEs: prioritize it in the patch queue.
- Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (authentication), errors and authentication anomalies.
Affected scope
Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Octobercms | October | ≥ 1.1.1 and < 1.1.5version 1.0.471 | Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| Octobercms | October | version >= 1.0.471, < 1.0.472version >= 1.1.1, < 1.1.5 | Vulnerable | CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
| Composer | October/system | < 1.0.472≥ 1.1.1 and < 1.1.5 | Vulnerable | GitHub Security Advisories |
Attack characteristics
The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.
Every base score collected
Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.
| Score | Version | Severity | Expl. | Impact | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.1 | CVSS 3.1 | Critical | 3.9 | 5.2 | nvd@nist.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 8.2 | CVSS 3.1 | High | 3.9 | 4.2 | security-advisories@github.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 8.2 | CVSS 3.1 | High | — | — | GitHub, Inc. via GitHub Security Advisories |
| 8.2 | CVSS 3.1 | High | — | — | GitHub_M via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
| 6.4 | CVSS 2.0 | Medium | 10.0 | 4.9 | nvd@nist.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N (score shown at the top: nvd@nist.gov) Weakness MITRE
Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.
CISA KEV details CISA
CISA lists a CVE once it has evidence of exploitation against real targets.
CISA records ransomware use only for campaigns it has confirmed, so “Unknown” means unrecorded, not ruled out. The deadline binds US federal agencies; for everyone else it is a reference date.
Public exploits, PoCs and detection templates
Public code that demonstrates or tests the flaw raises the odds of mass exploitation — and Nuclei templates help find vulnerable assets in your environment.
- Proof Of Concept code for OctoberCMS Auth Bypass CVE-2021-32648 ★ 12 Jan 14, 2022
- Patch your code for October CMS Auth Bypass CVE-2021-32648 ★ 1 Jan 20, 2022
Warning: public PoCs are sometimes disguised malware. Use them only for authorized testing in an isolated environment. This portal does not host exploit code — it only points to the sources.
EPSS over time FIRST
Oct 13, 2026 → Oct 14, 2026 · 2 reading(s) · max 90.42%
Detection
Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.
- Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
- Review authentication logs: logins without MFA, anomalous sessions and recently created accounts.
- Hunt retroactively in logs from before Jan 18, 2022 (KEV listing): exploitation may have started earlier.
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first.
- 2026
- Fix documented
- Affected products added · composer/october/system
- Affected products added · octobercms/october
- SSVC assessment updated
- Record published
- Fix documented
- Affected products added · octobercms/october
- CVSS changed · 9.1
- Source status changed · → Analyzed
- Added to CISA KEV (detected)
- Record created in this database
- 2022
- Added to CISA KEV catalog
- 2021
- CVE published
Source activity
Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.
- 2× References added · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
- 1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
References
6 on the record
- github.com/octobercms/library/commit/016a297b1bec55d2e53bc889458ed2cb5c3e9374
- github.com/octobercms/library/commit/5bd1a28140b825baebe6becd4f7562299d3de3b9
- github.com/octobercms/october/security/advisories/GHSA-mxr5-mc97-63rc
- www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog
- github.com/advisories/GHSA-mxr5-mc97-63rc
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-32648
Elsewhere on this site
Related CVEs (same products)
- Low CVE-2026-49400 October CMS: PHP Object Injection via Backend Widget Session Storage Sep 14, 2026
- Low CVE-2026-29179 October: Editor Sub-Permission Bypass for Asset and Blueprint File Operations Apr 21, 2026
- Low CVE-2026-27937 October: Reflected XSS via DataTable Form Widget Apr 21, 2026
- Medium CVE-2026-26274 October: Safe Mode Bypass via Twig Database Write Operations Apr 21, 2026
- Medium CVE-2026-26067 October: Safe Mode Bypass via CSS Preprocessor Compilers Apr 21, 2026
- Medium CVE-2026-25125 October CMS: Environment Variable Exfiltration via INI Parser Interpolation Apr 14, 2026
Not in any source we poll
Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.
- No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
- No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
- No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.
Answered from this record
Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.
What should defenders know first?
CVE-2021-32648 is "October CMS Improper Authentication", rated Critical. It affects October (Octobercms); versions are in the scope table. It is in CISA KEV: there is evidence of real-world exploitation. CVSS 9.1 describes technical severity. EPSS 90.42% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.
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