CVE-2026-71294
Cotonti CMS Comments Plugin PHP Object Injection via Unrestricted unserialize() in Create/Edit Actions
Cotonti CMS's Comments plugin deserializes user-supplied data without restricting the classes that may be instantiated. In plugins/comments/controllers/actions/CreateAction.php, a POST parameter obtained via (trim-only sanitization) is passed to with no restriction, reachable by any member with write access to comments (the default setting in plugins/comments/comments.setup.php).
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- Low
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- Low
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
7.7
Cotonti CMS Comments Plugin PHP Object Injection via Unrestricted unserialize() in Create/Edit Actions
Cotonti CMS's Comments plugin deserializes user-supplied data without restricting the classes that may be instantiated. In plugins/comments/controllers/actions/CreateAction.php, a POST parameter obtained via (trim-only sanitization) is passed to with no restriction, reachable by any member with write access to comments (the default setting in plugins/comments/comments.setup.php).
- Record
CVE-2026-71294- CVSS 3.1
- 7.7 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:L - Weakness
- CWE-502
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2026-53379
7.7
Cotonti CMS's Comments plugin deserializes user-supplied data without restricting the classes that may be instantiated. In plugins/comments/controllers/actions/CreateAction.php, a POST parameter obtained via (trim-only sanitization) is passed to with no restriction, reachable by any member with write access to comments (the default setting in plugins/comments/comments.setup.php).
- Record
EUVD-2026-53379- CVSS 3.1
- 7.7 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:L - Updated
- 2026-11-02
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-rm37-v7mc-6795
7.6
Cotonti CMS's Comments plugin deserializes user-supplied data without restricting the classes...
Cotonti CMS's Comments plugin deserializes user-supplied data without restricting the classes that may be instantiated. In plugins/comments/controllers/actions/CreateAction.php, a ci POST parameter obtained via cot_import('ci', 'P', 'TXT') (trim-only sanitization) is passed to unserialize(base64_decode($ci)) with no allowed_classes restriction, reachable by any member with write access to comments (the default Auth_members => 'RW' setting in plugins/comments/comments.setup.php). In plugins/comments/controllers/actions/EditAction.php, a cb parameter is similarly deserialized via unserialize(base64_decode($this->comeback)) in prepareComeBack(), reachable by any member editing their own comment. Because unserialize() is called without allowed_classes, an attacker can construct a serialized PHP object of any class loaded by Cotonti (a PHP Object Injection primitive). This was demonstrated in practice using Cotonti's own MySQL_cache class: a crafted serialized MySQL_cache object, once deserialized and later garbage-collected, triggers its __destruct()->flush() chain, causing an attacker-controlled INSERT INTO cot_cache with attacker-chosen row values — confirming genuine POP-chain exploitation, with further impact (including potential RCE) contingent on other gadget chains available in a given Cotonti installation's loaded classes. A third sink in DeleteAction.php contains the identical unserialize() pattern but is gated behind an admin-only authorization check and is not reachable by ordinary members.
- Record
GHSA-rm37-v7mc-6795- CVSS 3.1
- 7.6 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:L - Weakness
- CWE-502
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
7.6
Cotonti CMS's Comments plugin deserializes user-supplied data without restricting the classes that may be instantiated. In plugins/comments/controllers/actions/CreateAction.php, a POST parameter obtained via (trim-only sanitization) is passed to with no restriction, reachable by any member with write access to comments (the default setting in plugins/comments/comments.setup.php).
- Record
CVE-2026-71294- CVSS 3.1
- 7.6 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:L - Weakness
- CWE-502
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Public exploits
Links only. Every CVE stores no exploit code.
| Source | Link | Date |
|---|---|---|
| PoC in GitHub | HarshRajSinghania/cotonti-commentswidget-poc | 2026-09-13 |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| first indexed | CVE List, EUVD, GitHub Advisories, NVD, PoC in GitHub |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2026-71294 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.7) in Cotonti, published August 5, 2026. Public exploit code exists. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.38%, the 32nd percentile. No source names a fixed version.