Is CVE-2017-16941 actively exploited?

No active exploitation of CVE-2017-16941 has been confirmed so far. Continue monitoring, as exploit status can change.

Can CVE-2017-16941 be exploited remotely?

Yes. CVE-2017-16941 is exploitable remotely over the network (CVSS attack vector: Network).

What is the CVSS score of CVE-2017-16941?

CVE-2017-16941 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (HIGH).

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HIGH

CVE-2017-16941

CWE-434Published: November 25, 2017· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

8.8

CVSS v3.1

Official Description

October CMS through 1.0.428 does not prevent use of .htaccess in themes, which allows remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary PHP code by downloading a theme ZIP archive from /backend/cms/themes, and then uploading and importing a modified archive with two new files: a .php file and a .htaccess file. NOTE: the vendor says "I don't think [an attacker able to login to the system under an account that has access to manage/upload themes] is a threat model that we need to be considering.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2017-16941 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

Exploitation requires low privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 8.8.