GHSA-m8vh-v6r6-w7p6
Grav vulnerable to Denial of Service via Improper Input Handling in 'Supported' Parameter
Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Packagist | getgrav/grav | < 1.8.0-beta.27 | 1.8.0-beta.27 |
Details
As written in the advisory (Markdown source, shown as plain text).
**Endpoint**: `admin/config/system`
**Submenu**: `Languages`
**Parameter**: `Supported`
**Application**: Grav v 1.7.48
---
## Summary
A Denial of Service (DoS) vulnerability was identified in the **"Languages"** submenu of the Grav **admin configuration panel** (`/admin/config/system`). Specifically, the `Supported` parameter fails to properly validate user input. If a malformed value is inserted—such as a single forward slash (`/`) or an XSS test string—it causes a fatal regular expression parsing error on the server.
This leads to application-wide failure due to the use of the `preg_match()` function with an **improperly constructed regular expression**, resulting in the following error:
`preg_match(): Unknown modifier 'o' File: /system/src/Grav/Common/Language/Language.php line 244`
Once triggered, the site becomes completely unavailable to all users.
---
## Details
- **Vulnerable Endpoint**: `POST /admin/config/system`
- **Submenu**: `Languages`
- **Parameter**: `Supported`
The application dynamically constructs a regular expression using the contents of the `Supported` field without escaping the input using `preg_quote()` or proper validation. This allows attackers to inject invalid syntax into the regex engine, crashing the application during language resolution.
**Stack trace excerpt**:
`Whoops \ Exception \ ErrorException (E_WARNING) preg_match(): Unknown modifier 'o' /system/src/Grav/Common/Language/Language.php244`
---
## Proof of Concept (PoC)
### Payloads:
`/ `
### Steps to Reproduce:
1. Log into the Grav Admin Panel.
2. Navigate to: **Configuration** → **System** → **Languages**.
3. Locate the `Supported` field.
4. Insert one of the payloads above (e.g., a single slash `/`).
5. Click **Save**.
<img width="1897" height="639" alt="Pasted image 20250719183223" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/d3a54a20-d30d-46c6-9015-722f80701cfb" />
1. Observe: All pages in the application begin throwing a fatal error and become inaccessible.
<img width="1802" height="998" alt="Pasted image 20250719175229" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/b16750c2-507f-4c30-a9bb-d07fa92bb777" />
---
## Impact
- Application-wide Denial of Service (DoS)
- All login and admin views crash with the same error
- Potentially exploitable by:
- Admin panel users
- CSRF if misconfigured
---
## References
- **CWE-1333**: Improper Regular Expression
- **CWE-20**: Improper Input Validation
## Discoverer
[Marcelo Queiroz](www.linkedin.com/in/marceloqueirozjr)
by [CVE-Hunters](https://github.com/Sec-Dojo-Cyber-House/cve-hunters)
References
External links from the advisory. They lead to third-party sites.