CVE-2021-29487
Authentication bypass in Octobercms
octobercms in a CMS platform based on the Laravel PHP Framework. In affected versions of the october/system package an attacker can exploit this vulnerability to bypass authentication and takeover of and user account on an October CMS server. The vulnerability is exploitable by unauthenticated users via a specially crafted request. This only affects frontend users and the attacker must obtain a Laravel secret key for cookie encryption and signing in order to exploit this vulnerability. The issue has been patched in Build 472 and v1.1.5.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- High
- Privileges needed
- None
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
7.4
Authentication bypass in Octobercms
octobercms in a CMS platform based on the Laravel PHP Framework. In affected versions of the october/system package an attacker can exploit this vulnerability to bypass authentication and takeover of and user account on an October CMS server. The vulnerability is exploitable by unauthenticated users via a specially crafted request. This only affects frontend users and the attacker must obtain a Laravel secret key for cookie encryption and signing in order to exploit this vulnerability. The issue has been patched in Build 472 and v1.1.5.
- Record
CVE-2021-29487- CVSS 3.1
- 7.4 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-287
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2021-1741
7.4
octobercms in a CMS platform based on the Laravel PHP Framework. In affected versions of the october/system package an attacker can exploit this vulnerability to bypass authentication and takeover of and user account on an October CMS server. The vulnerability is exploitable by unauthenticated users via a specially crafted request. This only affects frontend users and the attacker must obtain a Laravel secret key for cookie encryption and signing in order to exploit this vulnerability. The issue has been patched in Build 472 and v1.1.5.
- Record
EUVD-2021-1741- CVSS 3.1
- 7.4 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-h76r-vgf3-j6w5
7.4
October CMS auth bypass and account takeover
Impact
An attacker can exploit this vulnerability to bypass authentication using a specially crafted persist cookie.
- To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker must obtain a Laravel’s secret key for cookie encryption and signing.
- Due to the logic of how this mechanism works, a targeted user account must be logged in while the attacker is exploiting the vulnerability.
- Authorization via persist cookie not shown in access logs.
Patches
- Issue has been patched in Build 472 and v1.1.5
- Shortened patch instructions
Workarounds
Apply https://github.com/octobercms/library/commit/016a297b1bec55d2e53bc889458ed2cb5c3e9374 and https://github.com/octobercms/library/commit/5bd1a28140b825baebe6becd4f7562299d3de3b9 to your installation manually if you are unable to upgrade.
[Update 2022-01-20] Shortened patch instructions can be found here.
Recommendations
We recommend the following steps to make sure your server stays secure:
- Keep server OS and system software up to date.
- Keep October CMS software up to date.
- Use a multi-factor authentication plugin.
- Change the default backend URL or block public access to the backend area.
- Include the Roave/SecurityAdvisories Composer package to ensure that your application doesn't have installed dependencies with known security vulnerabilities.
References
Bugs found as part of Solar Security CMS Research. Credits to: • Andrey Basarygin • Andrey Guzei • Mikhail Khramenkov • Alexander Sidukov • Maxim Teplykh
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Email us at [email protected]
- Record
GHSA-h76r-vgf3-j6w5- CVSS 3.1
- 7.4 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-287
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
7.4
octobercms in a CMS platform based on the Laravel PHP Framework. In affected versions of the october/system package an attacker can exploit this vulnerability to bypass authentication and takeover of and user account on an October CMS server. The vulnerability is exploitable by unauthenticated users via a specially crafted request. This only affects frontend users and the attacker must obtain a Laravel secret key for cookie encryption and signing in order to exploit this vulnerability. The issue has been patched in Build 472 and v1.1.5.
- Record
CVE-2021-29487- CVSS 3.1
- 7.4 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N - CVSS 2.0
- 5.8 Medium
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-287
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
7.4
octobercms in a CMS platform based on the Laravel PHP Framework. In affected versions of the october/system package an attacker can exploit this vulnerability to bypass authentication and takeover of and user account on an October CMS server. The vulnerability is exploitable by unauthenticated users via a specially crafted request. This only affects frontend users and the attacker must obtain a Laravel secret key for cookie encryption and signing in order to exploit this vulnerability. The issue has been patched in Build 472 and v1.1.5.
- Record
CVE-2021-29487- CVSS 3.1
- 7.4 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVGHSA-h76r-vgf3-j6w5
7.4
October CMS auth bypass and account takeover
Impact
An attacker can exploit this vulnerability to bypass authentication using a specially crafted persist cookie.
- To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker must obtain a Laravel’s secret key for cookie encryption and signing.
- Due to the logic of how this mechanism works, a targeted user account must be logged in while the attacker is exploiting the vulnerability.
- Authorization via persist cookie not shown in access logs.
Patches
- Issue has been patched in Build 472 and v1.1.5
- Shortened patch instructions
Workarounds
Apply https://github.com/octobercms/library/commit/016a297b1bec55d2e53bc889458ed2cb5c3e9374 and https://github.com/octobercms/library/commit/5bd1a28140b825baebe6becd4f7562299d3de3b9 to your installation manually if you are unable to upgrade.
[Update 2022-01-20] Shortened patch instructions can be found here.
Recommendations
We recommend the following steps to make sure your server stays secure:
- Keep server OS and system software up to date.
- Keep October CMS software up to date.
- Use a multi-factor authentication plugin.
- Change the default backend URL or block public access to the backend area.
- Include the Roave/SecurityAdvisories Composer package to ensure that your application doesn't have installed dependencies with known security vulnerabilities.
References
Bugs found as part of Solar Security CMS Research. Credits to: • Andrey Basarygin • Andrey Guzei • Mikhail Khramenkov • Alexander Sidukov • Maxim Teplykh
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Email us at [email protected]
- Record
GHSA-h76r-vgf3-j6w5- CVSS 3.1
- 7.4 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-287
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
october/systemPackagist |
before 1.0.472 | 1.0.472 |
october/systemPackagist |
1.1.1 up to 1.1.5 | 1.1.5 |
october/systemPackagist |
before 1.0.472, plus listed versions v1.0.319v1.0.320v1.0.321v1.0.322v1.0.323 Show 45 moreShow lessv1.0.324v1.0.325v1.0.326v1.0.327v1.0.328v1.0.329v1.0.330v1.0.331v1.0.332v1.0.333v1.0.334v1.0.335v1.0.336v1.0.337v1.0.338v1.0.339v1.0.340v1.0.341v1.0.342v1.0.343v1.0.344v1.0.345v1.0.346v1.0.347v1.0.348v1.0.349v1.0.350v1.0.351v1.0.352v1.0.353v1.0.354v1.0.355v1.0.356v1.0.357v1.0.358v1.0.359v1.0.360v1.0.361v1.0.362v1.0.363v1.0.364v1.0.365v1.0.366v1.0.367v1.0.368 |
1.0.472 |
october/systemPackagist |
1.1.1 up to 1.1.5, plus listed versions v1.1.1v1.1.2v1.1.3v1.1.4 |
1.1.5 |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| aliases | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2021-29487 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.4) in Octobercms October, published August 26, 2021. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.90%, the 59th percentile. Fixed in october/system 1.0.472.
References
github.com/octobercms/library/commit/016a297b1bec55d2e53bc889458ed2cb5c3e9374
github.com/octobercms/library/commit/5bd1a28140b825baebe6becd4f7562299d3de3b9
github.com/octobercms/october/security/advisories/GHSA-h76r-vgf3-j6w5
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-29487
github.com/advisories/GHSA-h76r-vgf3-j6w5
github.com/octobercms/october
Left out here: 103 versions. The JSON record has them.