CVE-2026-32299: Connect-CMS Information Disclosure Flaw

CVE-2026-32299 Overview

Connect-CMS, a content management system developed by Opensource-workshop, contains an improper authorization vulnerability in its page content retrieval feature. This flaw allows unauthenticated attackers to bypass access controls and retrieve non-public information from the CMS, potentially exposing sensitive page content that should be restricted to authorized users only.

Critical Impact

Unauthorized access to non-public page content and sensitive information stored within the Connect-CMS system, potentially exposing confidential data to unauthenticated attackers.

Affected Products

• Opensource-workshop Connect-CMS versions 1.x up to and including 1.41.0
• Opensource-workshop Connect-CMS versions 2.x up to and including 2.41.0

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-03-23 - CVE-2026-32299 published to NVD
• 2026-03-24 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-32299

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-284 (Improper Access Control), indicating that the affected software fails to properly restrict access to protected resources. The page content retrieval feature in Connect-CMS does not adequately verify user authorization before serving page content, allowing attackers to access pages that should be restricted.

The vulnerability is network-exploitable without requiring any authentication or user interaction, making it highly accessible to potential attackers. Successful exploitation results in unauthorized disclosure of confidential information while the integrity and availability of the system remain unaffected.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability lies in improper authorization checks within the page content retrieval functionality of Connect-CMS. The application fails to validate whether the requesting user has appropriate permissions to access specific page content before serving the requested data. This missing or inadequate authorization check allows unauthenticated users to retrieve content that should only be accessible to authorized users or administrators.

Attack Vector

The attack can be executed remotely over the network against any exposed Connect-CMS installation. An attacker can craft requests to the page content retrieval endpoint to access restricted pages without proper authentication. The low attack complexity means no special conditions or circumstances are required for exploitation.

The attacker does not need any privileges or authentication credentials to exploit this vulnerability, and no user interaction is required. The attack results in high confidentiality impact, potentially exposing all non-public content stored within the CMS.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-32299

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual access patterns to page content APIs from unauthenticated sessions
• Requests for restricted or non-public page IDs from external IP addresses
• Anomalous traffic patterns targeting content retrieval endpoints
• Access logs showing retrieval of protected content by unauthenticated users

Detection Strategies

• Monitor web server access logs for requests to page content endpoints that return successful responses for protected content
• Implement application-level logging to track authorization failures and unexpected content access patterns
• Deploy web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect enumeration attempts against page content endpoints
• Use intrusion detection systems to identify reconnaissance activities targeting CMS content

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed access logging for all Connect-CMS page retrieval operations
• Set up alerts for bulk requests to content endpoints from single IP addresses
• Monitor for sequential page ID enumeration patterns in request logs
• Review authentication logs for mismatches between user sessions and accessed content permissions

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-32299

Immediate Actions Required

• Upgrade Connect-CMS 1.x installations to version 1.41.1 or later immediately
• Upgrade Connect-CMS 2.x installations to version 2.41.1 or later immediately
• Conduct an audit of potentially exposed non-public content to assess data exposure
• Review access logs to identify any suspicious activity or potential exploitation attempts

Patch Information

Opensource-workshop has released patched versions that address this improper authorization vulnerability. Users running affected versions should update immediately:

• Version 1.x users: Upgrade to version 1.41.1 or later
• Version 2.x users: Upgrade to version 2.41.1 or later

For complete details on this security issue, refer to the GitHub Security Advisory GHSA-62ch-j6x7-722j.

Workarounds

• Restrict network access to the Connect-CMS installation using firewall rules until patching is complete
• Implement a reverse proxy with additional authentication layers for sensitive content areas
• Temporarily disable or restrict access to non-essential page content features
• Consider placing the CMS behind a VPN if public access is not required

# Example: Restrict access to Connect-CMS using iptables
# Allow only trusted IP ranges while awaiting patch deployment
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -s 192.168.1.0/24 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -s 192.168.1.0/24 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -j DROP
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -j DROP