CVE-2025-50057 is a Denial of Service (DoS) vulnerability identified in the RSFiles! component versions 1.16.3 through 1.17.7 for the Joomla content management system. This vulnerability arises from uncontrolled resource consumption (CWE-400) triggered via the component's search feature. Specifically, unauthenticated remote attackers can exploit the search functionality to overwhelm server resources, causing service disruption and denying legitimate users access to the affected Joomla sites. The vulnerability does not require any authentication or user interaction, making it accessible to any attacker with network access to the vulnerable Joomla instance. The CVSS 4.0 base score is 6.9 (medium severity), reflecting the network attack vector, low attack complexity, no privileges or user interaction required, and limited impact on availability. However, the vulnerability does not affect confidentiality or integrity directly. No known exploits are reported in the wild yet, and no patches have been linked at the time of publication. The issue is significant because Joomla is widely used for websites, and RSFiles! is a popular file management extension, meaning many sites could be exposed to service disruption if unpatched. The vulnerability's root cause is the lack of proper input validation or rate limiting on the search feature, allowing attackers to craft requests that consume excessive server resources such as CPU or memory, leading to denial of service.

For European organizations using Joomla with the RSFiles! component in the affected versions, this vulnerability poses a risk of service outages due to denial of service attacks. This can impact business continuity, customer trust, and potentially lead to financial losses, especially for e-commerce, government, or critical infrastructure websites relying on Joomla. Since the attack requires no authentication, it can be launched by any external attacker, increasing the threat surface. Additionally, prolonged downtime can affect compliance with data availability regulations such as GDPR, particularly if the website provides essential services or customer portals. The disruption could also indirectly affect integrity if fallback mechanisms or backups are improperly handled during recovery. Organizations with high traffic or limited server resources are more vulnerable to resource exhaustion. The lack of known exploits currently reduces immediate risk, but the medium severity and ease of exploitation mean attackers may develop exploits soon. Therefore, European entities should prioritize assessment and mitigation to avoid potential service disruptions.

1. Immediate mitigation involves upgrading the RSFiles! component to a version where this vulnerability is patched once available. Since no patch links are currently provided, organizations should monitor rsjoomla.com and Joomla security advisories closely. 2. Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block abnormal or excessive search requests targeting the RSFiles! search feature, including rate limiting and request throttling to prevent resource exhaustion. 3. Employ server-level resource limits (e.g., CPU, memory, request concurrency) to contain the impact of potential abuse. 4. Disable or restrict the RSFiles! search feature if it is not essential to reduce the attack surface. 5. Monitor web server and application logs for unusual spikes in search requests or resource usage indicative of exploitation attempts. 6. Conduct regular vulnerability scans and penetration testing focused on Joomla extensions to identify similar issues proactively. 7. Maintain an incident response plan to quickly respond to DoS incidents, including traffic filtering and failover strategies. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on immediate protective controls and operational monitoring tailored to this specific vulnerability and Joomla environment.