A significant security flaw, identified as CVE-2019-6340, was discovered in Drupal, a popular content management system. This vulnerability allows for potential remote code execution, meaning attackers could, under specific conditions, run their own malicious code on affected websites. This poses a high risk to data integrity and system control. The issue stems from how certain field types handle data from non-form sources, failing to properly clean it before processing. This blog post will help you understand the vulnerability and, more importantly, how to protect your Drupal site.
CVE Details
This vulnerability, officially named CVE-2019-6340, affects Drupal, a widely used open-source content management system. It was first publicly disclosed on February 21, 2019. The severity of this flaw is rated as High, reflecting the serious impact it could have if exploited. Currently, the status of this vulnerability is ‘Analyzed’, indicating that it has been thoroughly investigated and understood by security researchers.
Affected Products
The primary products impacted by CVE-2019-6340 are specific versions of Drupal 8:
- Drupal 8.5.x before version 8.5.11
- Drupal 8.6.x before version 8.6.10
It’s important to note that a site is only vulnerable if certain conditions are met: either the Drupal 8 core RESTful Web Services (rest) module is enabled and allows PATCH or POST requests, or if another web services module is in use, such as JSON:API in Drupal 8, or the Services or RESTful Web Services modules in Drupal 7. While the Drupal 7 Services module itself did not require an update for this specific issue, related updates for other contributed modules might have been necessary at the time of discovery.
Current Status
As of June 17, 2026, this vulnerability remains categorized as ‘Analyzed’. This means that security experts have fully understood the nature of the flaw, its potential impact, and the necessary remediation steps. While the initial discovery was made in 2019, its ‘Analyzed’ status indicates its continued relevance and the importance of ensuring systems are patched.
Severity Level
The CVE-2019-6340 vulnerability carries a ‘High’ severity rating, with a CVSS score of 8.1. A high severity rating signifies that the vulnerability could have a severe impact on the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of an affected system. In this case, the ability for an attacker to achieve arbitrary PHP code execution is particularly dangerous. It could allow them to take complete control of your website, steal sensitive data, or even use your server for further attacks. This emphasizes the critical need for immediate action if your Drupal site is running vulnerable versions.
Possible Solutions
To protect your Drupal website from the CVE-2019-6340 vulnerability, the most effective solution is to update your Drupal installation to a patched version:
- If you are running Drupal 8.5.x, you should update to Drupal 8.5.11 or a later version.
- If you are running Drupal 8.6.x, you should update to Drupal 8.6.10 or a later version.
These updates contain the necessary fixes to properly sanitize data from non-form sources, thereby preventing unauthorized PHP code execution.
Additionally, review the configuration of your web services modules. If you are not actively using the RESTful Web Services module or similar functionality that accepts PATCH or POST requests from untrusted sources, consider disabling or restricting access to these features. Regularly reviewing your module configurations and ensuring all components of your Drupal installation are up to date are essential steps in maintaining a secure online presence. For broader security advice, consider linking to internal articles on “Web Application Security Best Practices” or “Protecting Your Drupal Site.”
References
For more detailed technical information and advisories, please refer to the following resources:
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/107106
https://www.drupal.org/sa-core-2019-003
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/46452/
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/46459/
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/46510/
https://www.synology.com/security/advisory/Synology_SA_19_09
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2019-6340
