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CVE-2026-55741 Cotonti CVE debrief

CVE-2026-55741 is a high-severity Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Cotonti 1.0.0. The vulnerability exists in the administration configuration handler, specifically in the system/admin/admin.config.php file. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by luring an authenticated administrator to visit a malicious page, which can force the browser to submit a forged request that modifies arbitrary core, module, or plugin configuration options. This can be leveraged to weaken security or enable further compromise. The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 8.7 and is considered high severity.

Vendor
Cotonti
Product
Unknown
CVSS
HIGH 8.7
CISA KEV
Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published
2026-06-18
Original CVE updated
2026-06-22
Advisory published
2026-06-18
Advisory updated
2026-06-22

Who should care

Administrators and users of Cotonti 1.0.0, especially those with administrative privileges, should be aware of this vulnerability and take immediate action to patch their installations. Additionally, developers and security teams responsible for maintaining and securing Cotonti-based systems should prioritize patching and monitoring for potential exploitation.

Technical summary

The vulnerability exists in the system/admin/admin.config.php file, specifically in the configuration update action ('a=update'). The cot_config_update_options() function processes POST data without calling cot_check_xg() to validate the anti-CSRF token (the 'x' parameter). This allows an attacker to forge a request that modifies arbitrary configuration options. The vulnerability is exacerbated by the fact that other admin handlers, such as admin.structure.php and admin.cache.php, do call cot_check_xg() to validate the anti-CSRF token.

Defensive priority

High

Recommended defensive actions

  • Apply the patch or update to the latest version of Cotonti
  • Implement additional CSRF protection measures, such as token validation, in the administration configuration handler
  • Monitor for suspicious activity and potential exploitation attempts
  • Restrict administrative access to trusted users and networks
  • Regularly review and update configuration options to prevent unauthorized changes
  • Use a web application firewall (WAF) to detect and prevent CSRF attacks

Evidence notes

The vulnerability was reported in the Cotonti 1.0.0 master branch, commit f43f1fc3. The system/admin/admin.config.php file is vulnerable to CSRF attacks due to the lack of anti-CSRF token validation. The cot_config_update_options() function processes POST data without proper validation, allowing an attacker to forge requests.

Official resources

public