CVE-2026-88418: CMSimple 5.24 ships with CSRF protection disabled by default, which turns csrfProtection() into a no-op on every state-changing admin request, and it does not s

CMSimple 5.24 ships with CSRF protection disabled by default, which turns csrfProtection() into a no-op on every state-changing admin request, and it does not s

CMSimple 5.24 ships with CSRF protection disabled by default, which turns csrfProtection() into a no-op on every state-changing admin request, and it does not send the csrf_token hidden field in admin forms. Because administrator authentication is cookie-only and no CSRF token is enforced, an unauthenticated attacker can induce a logged-in administrator's browser to issue a forged content-save request with a text payload containing a scripting marker. The marker is stored verbatim into content/content.php; on every subsequent page view evaluate_cmsimple_scripting() (functions.php) executes the marker body with PHP eval() — for all visitors, including unauthenticated ones. This yields persistent remote code execution on the web server.

Description from the National Vulnerability Database, published by MITRE

What it means for a small business

If your business uses this software, install the vendor's update. If you're not sure whether you use it, ask whoever manages your computers.

How likely is an attack? The Exploit Prediction Scoring System, run by FIRST (the global association of security response teams), puts the odds of this one being exploited in the next 30 days at 0.25%, higher than 17% of CVEs. That’s low, but low isn’t zero, and the odds jump the day someone publishes an exploit. Scored October 29, 2026, updated daily.

Check your own setup

Website check: reads what your site runs from the outside (WordPress version, plugins it can see, old server software) and matches it against this database.
Server check: what your web server says about itself, and whether that version has known flaws.

Sources

Part of the Huttenlocher Technologies vulnerability database, refreshed twice a day from CISA and the NVD. The title, category and plain-language guidance are ours; check the linked record before acting on a detail. This is general guidance, not a review of your systems.

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