Two critical account creation vulnerabilities have been addressed on Tuesday in the Joomla content management system (CMS) with the release of version 3.6.4.
One of the flaws, identified as CVE-2016-8870, allows an attacker to register on a website even if registration has been disabled. The security hole, affecting the Joomla core in versions 3.4.4 through 3.6.3, is caused by inadequate checks. The issue was reported to Joomla developers on October 18 by Demis Palma.
The second vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2016-8869, can also be exploited by users to register on a website, but with elevated privileges.
The bug, discovered by Davide Tampellini and reported on October 21, is caused by incorrect use of unfiltered data. This problem also affects Joomla versions 3.4.4 through 3.6.3.
Since both vulnerabilities have been rated high severity, it took Joomla developers less than one week to patch them. The Joomla! Security Strike Team (JSST) published a security announcement last week to ensure that users are made aware of the update and patch their installations as soon as it becomes available.
Joomla servers are tempting targets for cybercriminals and it’s not uncommon for malicious actors to start exploiting vulnerabilities in the wild shortly after they have been disclosed.
Related: Joomla Flaw Exploited in the Wild Within Hours of Disclosure
Eduard Kovacs (@EduardKovacs) is a contributing editor at SecurityWeek. He worked as a high school IT teacher for two years before starting a career in journalism as Softpedia’s security news reporter. Eduard holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial informatics and a master’s degree in computer techniques applied in electrical engineering.
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