CVE-2025-70960
📋 TL;DR
A stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Tendenci CMS v15.3.7 allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into forum posts that execute when other users view them. This affects all Tendenci CMS installations running the vulnerable version with the Forums module enabled.
💻 Affected Systems
- Tendenci CMS
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers could steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, perform actions on behalf of authenticated users, or deface the forums.
Likely Case
Attackers inject malicious scripts into forum posts to steal user session cookies or credentials, potentially compromising user accounts.
If Mitigated
With proper input validation and output encoding, malicious scripts would be sanitized and rendered harmless.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires ability to post to forums (typically authenticated). The GitHub reference suggests proof-of-concept details are available.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Unknown
Vendor Advisory: Unknown
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
Check Tendenci CMS vendor channels for security updates. If no patch is available, implement workarounds immediately.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Forums Module
allTemporarily disable the vulnerable Forums module to prevent exploitation.
Navigate to Tendenci CMS admin panel > Modules > Disable Forums
Implement WAF Rules
allConfigure web application firewall to block XSS payloads in forum submissions.
Add WAF rule: Block requests containing <script>, javascript:, onerror=, etc. in POST parameters
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict script execution
- Enable input validation and output encoding for all user-generated content in forums
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Test by posting forum content containing <script>alert('XSS')</script> and checking if it executes when viewed.Check Version:
Check Tendenci CMS admin dashboard or version file for current versionVerify Fix Applied:
After applying fixes, test the same XSS payload to confirm it's properly sanitized and doesn't execute.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual forum post activity with script tags or JavaScript code
- Multiple failed login attempts following forum post views
Network Indicators:
- Outbound connections to suspicious domains from forum pages
- Unexpected POST requests with encoded script payloads
SIEM Query:
source="web_logs" AND (uri_path="/forums/" OR uri_path="/forum/") AND (message="<script>" OR message="javascript:")