CVE-2025-13980VulnerabilityPublished 28 Jan 2026

CVE-2025-13980: Drupal CKEditor 5 Premium Features · Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel

Affects Drupal CKEditor 5 Premium FeaturesSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.3 Medium · fixed in 1.6.4 : update Drupal CKEditor 5 Premium Features when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 06:26 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

5.3Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 18% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 1.6.4, 1.5.1, 1.4.3 +2

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

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: Low
Integrity: None
Availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: Low: There is some loss of confidentiality. Access to some restricted information is obtained, but the attacker does not have control over what information is obtained, or the amount or kind of loss is limited. The information disclosure does not cause a direct, serious loss to the impacted component.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 28 Jan 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-26.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
DrupalCKEditor 5 Premium Features	Affected <1.2.10 >=1.3.0 <1.3.6 >=1.4.0 <1.4.3 >=1.5.0 <1.5.1 >=1.6.0 <1.6.4	Fixed in 1.6.4 1.5.1 1.4.3 1.3.6 1.2.10
Packagistdrupal/ckeditor5-premium-features`pkg:composer/drupal/ckeditor5-premium-features`Other threats	Affected =0.0.0 =1.3.0 =1.4.0 =1.5.0 =1.6.0	Fixed in–

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

1. Immediately upgrade CKEditor 5 Premium Features to the latest patched versions beyond 1.2.10, 1.3.6, 1.4.3, 1.5.1, or 1.6.4 depending on the installed version. 2. Restrict access to CKEditor 5 Premium Features to trusted users and networks, employing network segmentation and access control lists where feasible. 3. Implement web application firewalls (WAF) with custom rules to detect and block suspicious requests targeting CKEditor endpoints. 4. Monitor Drupal logs and web server access logs for unusual or unauthorized access attempts to CKEditor features. 5. Conduct regular vulnerability scans and penetration tests focusing on Drupal CMS and its components. 6. Educate site administrators about the risks of using outdated CKEditor versions and enforce patch management policies. 7. Consider disabling premium features if not essential until patches are applied. 8. Employ multi-factor authentication (MFA) for administrative access to Drupal sites to reduce risk from chained attacks.

Description

CVE-2025-13980 is an authentication bypass vulnerability in Drupal's CKEditor 5 Premium Features that allows attackers to bypass authentication without any user interaction or privileges. It affects multiple versions prior to fixed releases, enabling unauthorized access through alternate paths or channels. The vulnerability has a medium severity with a CVSS score of 5.3, impacting confidentiality but not integrity or availability. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild. European organizations using affected Drupal CKEditor 5 Premium Features versions could face unauthorized access risks, particularly those with public-facing Drupal sites. Mitigation requires prompt updating to patched versions beyond 1.2.10, 1.3.

Impact

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2025-13980 lies in unauthorized access to content editing features within Drupal-powered websites using CKEditor 5 Premium Features. This could lead to exposure of sensitive or confidential information, unauthorized content modifications, or misuse of administrative functionalities. Public sector websites, educational institutions, and enterprises relying on Drupal for content management are at risk of data confidentiality breaches. Although the vulnerability does not directly affect system integrity or availability, unauthorized access can undermine trust, cause reputational damage, and potentially facilitate further attacks if combined with other vulnerabilities. The ease of exploitation without authentication or user interaction increases the risk of automated attacks or scanning by threat actors. Given Drupal's significant adoption in Europe, especially in countries with strong digital government initiatives, the impact could be widespread if not addressed promptly.

CWE-288Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessOWASP Top 10 A07:2025: Authentication Failures (opens in a new tab)
The product requires authentication, but the product has an alternate path or channel that does not require authentication.
Architecture and Design
Funnel all access through a single choke point to simplify how users can access a resource. For every access, perform a check to determine if the user has permissions to access the resource.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
OWASP Authentication (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V1.2.3 (opens in a new tab)
V1.2.2 (opens in a new tab)
V1.2.4 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Directory Indexing (opens in a new tab)
Exploitation of Thunderbolt Protection Flaws (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

drupal.org/sa-contrib-2025-118 (opens in a new tab)

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 5 Feb 2026, 08:56 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-288

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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