CVE-2025-54378 is a high-severity improper authorization vulnerability affecting the HAX CMS platform, specifically in its Node.js and PHP backend implementations (haxcms-nodejs versions 11.0.13 and below, and haxcms-php versions 11.0.8 and below). HAX CMS is a content management system designed to manage microsites, and it exposes API endpoints for resource interaction. The vulnerability arises because these API endpoints verify only user authentication but fail to enforce authorization checks before allowing operations on resources. This means that any authenticated user, regardless of their privileges, can perform actions on resources they should not have access to, leading to unauthorized modifications or deletions. The flaw corresponds to CWE-285 (Improper Authorization) and CWE-862 (Missing Authorization). The vulnerability does not require user interaction but does require that the attacker be authenticated (PR:L). The CVSS 3.1 score is 8.3 (high), reflecting the network attack vector, low attack complexity, and significant impact on integrity and availability, with some impact on confidentiality. The issue was fixed in haxcms-nodejs version 11.0.14 and haxcms-php version 11.0.9. No known exploits are reported in the wild yet, but the vulnerability presents a significant risk due to the lack of authorization enforcement on sensitive operations.

For European organizations using HAX CMS to manage microsites or internal/external web content, this vulnerability poses a substantial risk. Unauthorized users with valid credentials could manipulate content, deface websites, delete critical data, or disrupt service availability. This could lead to reputational damage, loss of customer trust, and potential regulatory non-compliance under GDPR if personal data is affected. The integrity and availability impacts are particularly concerning for organizations relying on HAX CMS for public-facing or business-critical microsites. Attackers exploiting this flaw could also pivot to further internal network compromise if the CMS is integrated with other systems. Given the ease of exploitation (no user interaction, low complexity) and the network accessibility of the API endpoints, the threat is significant for organizations that have not applied the patches. The lack of confidentiality impact is limited but still present, as unauthorized users might access some data they should not see.

European organizations should immediately upgrade to haxcms-nodejs version 11.0.14 or higher and haxcms-php version 11.0.9 or higher to ensure authorization checks are properly enforced. Until patches are applied, organizations should implement compensating controls such as restricting network access to the CMS API endpoints via firewall rules or VPNs to trusted users only. Conduct thorough access reviews to ensure only necessary users have authentication credentials. Implement monitoring and alerting on suspicious API activity to detect potential exploitation attempts. Additionally, perform security testing and code reviews on custom integrations with HAX CMS to verify authorization logic. Organizations should also review logs for unauthorized access attempts and prepare incident response plans in case exploitation occurs. Regular backups of CMS data should be maintained to enable recovery from potential data integrity or availability impacts.