Overview
This article provides an in-depth analysis of CVE-2025-13080, a vulnerability discovered in Drupal core that allows for Forceful Browsing. This vulnerability stems from an improper check for unusual or exceptional conditions within the Drupal core code. It’s crucial for Drupal site administrators to understand the implications and take immediate action to mitigate the risk.
Technical Details
CVE-2025-13080 is classified as an “Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions” vulnerability. Specifically, the issue resides in how Drupal core handles certain requests or data inputs, leading to the potential for users to access resources or functionalities they are not authorized to access through Forceful Browsing techniques. Forceful browsing, also known as direct object reference, is a method of accessing pages or resources by directly manipulating the URL or other parameters. This flaw exists in Drupal versions:
- From 8.0.0 before 10.4.9
- From 10.5.0 before 10.5.6
- From 11.0.0 before 11.1.9
- From 11.2.0 before 11.2.8
CVSS Analysis
Currently, the CVSS score for CVE-2025-13080 is listed as N/A, and the severity is also marked as N/A. This suggests the vulnerability might be difficult to exploit in most standard configurations, or further analysis is needed to determine a precise score. However, the potential for Forceful Browsing should not be ignored, as its impact can vary widely based on the specific Drupal site and its configuration.
Possible Impact
While the severity is currently listed as N/A, a successful Forceful Browsing attack could have several potential impacts:
- Information Disclosure: Unauthorized access to sensitive data, such as user profiles, content, or configuration settings.
- Privilege Escalation: Gaining higher-level permissions than intended, potentially leading to administrative control of the site.
- Data Modification: Altering or deleting data that the attacker should not have access to.
- Denial of Service: In some cases, exploiting the vulnerability could lead to instability or disruption of service.
Mitigation or Patch Steps
The primary mitigation step is to upgrade your Drupal core to a patched version. Here are the recommended versions:
- Upgrade to Drupal 10.4.9 or later.
- Upgrade to Drupal 10.5.6 or later.
- Upgrade to Drupal 11.1.9 or later.
- Upgrade to Drupal 11.2.8 or later.
Follow these steps to upgrade your Drupal core:
- Backup Your Website: Always create a full backup of your website (database and files) before performing any updates.
- Put Site in Maintenance Mode: Enable maintenance mode to prevent users from accessing the site during the update process.
- Update Drupal Core: Use Composer to update Drupal core to the latest patched version. The command will be similar to `composer update drupal/core-recommended –with-dependencies`.
- Run Database Updates: After updating the core files, run the database update script by visiting `update.php` in your browser (e.g., `yourwebsite.com/update.php`).
- Clear Caches: Clear all Drupal caches to ensure the updated code is being used.
- Take Site Out of Maintenance Mode: Disable maintenance mode to allow users to access the updated site.
- Verify: After the update, verify that all functionalities are working as expected.
