CVE-2026-35573
Path Traversal in Churchcrm ≤ 6.5.3
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:HSummary
CVE-2026-35573 is a critical-severity Path Traversal (CWE-22) vulnerability in Churchcrm Churchcrm. Its CVSS base score is 9.1 (Critical).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked in the top 48% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to AC-3 (Access Enforcement) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2026-35573 is a path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22, CWE-434) in the backup restore functionality of ChurchCRM, an open-source church management system. Versions prior to 6.5.3 are affected, specifically in the src/ChurchCRM/Backup/RestoreJob.php component. The issue stems from the user-controlled $rawUploadedFile['name'] parameter, which allows authenticated administrators to upload files with arbitrary names to the /var/www/html/tmp_attach/ChurchCRMBackups/ directory. This can lead to remote code execution by overwriting Apache .htaccess configuration files. The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.1 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H).
Authenticated administrators with high privileges can exploit this vulnerability remotely with low complexity and no user interaction required. By crafting a malicious backup file upload, attackers can traverse paths to place arbitrary files in sensitive locations, such as overwriting .htaccess files to enable code execution on the server. Successful exploitation grants high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts, with a changed scope due to the potential for server-wide effects.
The vulnerability is fixed in ChurchCRM version 6.5.3. Security practitioners should upgrade to this version immediately. Additional details are available in the GitHub security advisory at https://github.com/ChurchCRM/CRM/security/advisories/GHSA-r6cr-mvr9-f6wx.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-19771
Vulnerability Data
ChurchCRM is an open-source church management system. Prior to 6.5.3, a path traversal vulnerability in ChurchCRM's backup restore functionality allows authenticated administrators to upload arbitrary files and achieve remote code execution by overwriting Apache .htaccess configuration files. The vulnerability exists…
more
in src/ChurchCRM/Backup/RestoreJob.php. The $rawUploadedFile['name'] parameter is user-controlled and allows uploading files with arbitrary names to /var/www/html/tmp_attach/ChurchCRMBackups/. This vulnerability is fixed in 6.5.3.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
—
—
—
V5.3.2V5.1.1
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Enforces the intended directory access authorizations that path traversal would otherwise bypass.
Input validation directly neutralizes special path elements before pathname construction occurs.
Malicious-code protection at entry points blocks dangerous file types from being accepted and executed.
Least privilege reduces the impact of any unauthorized file access obtained via traversal.
Least functionality restricts the file types and automatic processing capabilities the system will accept.
Mobile-code controls define, authorize, and block unacceptable uploaded code before automatic processing occurs.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Restricting execution of unauthorized software directly blocks dangerous uploaded files from running.
Hardened configuration baselines can enforce allowed file types and processing rules.
Patching/maintenance can remediate known path-traversal flaws in deployed software (partial prevention of exploitability) but does nothing to stop the coding defect from being introduced in the first place.
Secure development practices include input validation and file-type restrictions that prevent this weakness.
PR.AA-05 defines and reviews access policies but does not address code-level pathname neutralization, so neither direction prevents CWE-22.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Security testing in development catches path traversal via static/dynamic analysis.
Secure SDLC mandates input validation and path sanitization that directly prevent path traversal.
Application security requirements include rules for safe file handling and canonicalization.
Secure architecture principles require least-privilege file access and directory isolation.
Secure coding standards explicitly forbid unsafe path construction and mandate safe APIs.
Information access restriction limits which files an application may read or write.