CVE-2021-32648
CVE-2021-32648 is a security flaw in October CMS. Attackers can get into October CMS without a valid password. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks on 18 Jan 2022.[1]
October CMS is business software or equipment. Most families won’t have it, but attackers break into it to get inside companies, and from there to what those companies hold about their customers, patients and staff. October CMS has published a fix or advice.
Description
CISA calls it an improper authentication in October CMS October CMS. In its words: “In affected versions of the october/system package an attacker can request an account password reset and then gain access to the account using a specially crafted request.”[1]
The CVE record adds: “octobercms in a CMS platform based on the Laravel PHP Framework. In affected versions of the october/system package an attacker can request an account password reset and then gain access to the account using a specially crafted request. The issue has been patched in Build 472 and v1.1.5.”[2]
The underlying weakness is improper authentication (CWE-287), in MITRE’s list of common software weaknesses.
It scores 9.1 out of 10 on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System, which rates it critical, scored by NVD using CVSS 3.1.[2]
Affected versions
NVD’s record doesn’t list version ranges for it; October CMS’s advisory has them[3]. CISA names the product as October CMS October CMS.
Most families won’t have October CMS; it’s for whoever looks after IT at work.
Exploitation
CISA added it to its catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities on 18 Jan 2022, 145 days after it was made public. CISA lists a flaw only when it has reliable evidence of it being exploited, and gave US federal agencies until 1 Feb 2022 to fix it.[1]
FIRST’s Exploit Prediction Scoring System, which estimates how likely a flaw is to be used in attacks in the next 30 days from what it sees across the internet, puts it at 91%. That’s in the top 1% of the flaws it scores.[4]
CISA assesses it as automatable: attackers can run it against many targets at once.
CISA doesn’t say who was attacked, or how.
Fix
October CMS has published a fix or advice.[3] CISA’s required action: “Apply updates per vendor instructions.”[1]
- Check whether you use it.October CMS is business software or equipment, so most families won’t have it. If you run a business, or work from home on company equipment, ask whoever looks after your IT.
- Send this page to your IT person.Ask them to confirm it’s fixed, or not in use. CISA gave US government agencies until 1 Feb 2022 to fix it.
- If it can’t be fixed, take it offline.CISA’s advice when there’s no fix is to stop using the product, or take it off the internet, until there is one.
You can’t fix someone else’s server, but you can watch for what follows a break-in like this: a breach notice, a password reset you didn’t ask for, or a scam message that knows things it shouldn’t. HARD watches for those for you and your family.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| The flaw is made public in the National Vulnerability Database, with a severity score of 9.1.[2] | |
| CISA adds it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks.[1] | |
| CISA’s deadline for US government agencies to fix it.[1] | |
| FIRST puts the odds of it being used in attacks in the next 30 days at 91%.[4] |
See also
Other improper authentication flaws
- CVE-2026-105133, AhsayCBS: improper authentication ·
- CVE-2026-42018, JFrog Artifactory: improper authentication ·
- CVE-2026-82329, JFrog Artifactory: improper authentication ·
- CVE-2026-59822, BerriAI LiteLLM: improper authentication ·
- CVE-2023-49105, ownCloud: improper authentication ·
Added the same day
- CVE-2021-40870, Aviatrix Controller: controller unrestricted upload of file ·
- CVE-2021-33766, Microsoft Exchange Server: information disclosure ·
- CVE-2021-25298, Nagios XI: XI OS command injection ·
- CVE-2021-25297, Nagios XI: XI OS command injection ·
- CVE-2021-25296, Nagios XI: XI OS command injection ·
References
- ^ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “October CMS Improper Authentication”. Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, added 18 Jan 2022.
- ^ National Institute of Standards and Technology. “CVE-2021-32648 Detail”. National Vulnerability Database, published 26 Aug 2021.
- ^ October CMS. Advisories and fixes: github.com.
- ^ FIRST. “Exploit Prediction Scoring System”. EPSS 0.912, percentile 99.8, 31 Oct 2026.
- CVE Program. “CVE-2021-32648”. The official CVE record.
This article is built from CISA’s catalog (version 2026.10.30), NVD’s record and FIRST’s scores, kept in HARD’s database and checked every morning. The plain English is HARD’s.