Auth bypass in Apereo Xerte Online Toolkits
CVE-2026-32985
Xerte Online Toolkits versions 3.14 and earlier contain an unauthenticated arbitrary file upload vulnerability in the template import functionality that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by uploading a crafted ZIP archive containing malicious PHP payloads. Attackers can bypass authentication checks in the import.php file to upload a template archive with PHP code in the media directory, which gets extracted to a web-accessible path where the malicious PHP can be directly accessed and executed under the web server context.
Vulnerability class: Broken Authentication
EPSS: 0.015 (71.2th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 9.8 (Critical). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
Affected products
- Apereo Xerte_online_toolkits
- Xerte Online Toolkits — versions 0
Weakness classification (CWE)
Public proof-of-concept exploits
References
- Xerte Online Toolkits - Vendor Homepage (Product, product)
- Packet Storm listing (Xerte Online Toolkits 3.14 Shell Upload) (Exploit, exploit, Third Party Advisory, Issue Tracking)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-32985?
- CVE-2026-32985 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Apereo Xerte Online Toolkits, classified under Missing Authentication for Critical Function. CVSS score: 9.8/10. Published 2026-03-20.
- How severe is CVE-2026-32985?
- Critical severity. CVSS v3 base score is 9.8 out of 10.
- Is CVE-2026-32985 known to be exploited?
- 1 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.