Summary
Craft CMS has a CSRF issue in the preview token endpoint at /actions/preview/create-token. The endpoint accepts an attacker-supplied previewToken.
Because the action does not require POST and does not enforce a CSRF token, an attacker can force a logged-in victim editor to mint a preview token chosen by the attacker.
That token can then be used by the attacker (without authentication) to access previewed/unpublished content tied to the victim’s authorized preview scope.
Preconditions
- Victim is logged in to Craft control panel.
- Victim has active preview authorization in session for target content (e.g., opened/edited an entry).
- The attacker must know the target’s
canonicalId and public URL path of that entry.
1) Attacker prepares a fixed token
Use any 32-character value, for example:
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
2) CSRF victim into minting that token
Send the victim a link (or top-level redirect) such as:
https://TARGET/actions/preview/create-token?elementType=craft%5Celements%5CEntry&canonicalId=123&siteId=1&previewToken=aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa&redirect=https%3A%2F%2FTARGET%2F
If the victim is logged in and authorized for previewElement:123, Craft creates that exact token.
3) Attacker accesses preview content unauthenticated
curl -i 'https://TARGET/news/known-entry-slug?token=aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa'
Expected vulnerable behavior:
- Response renders preview/unpublished state (draft/provisional context), not just normal public content.
Impact
- CSRF-based minting of attacker-known preview tokens.
- Unauthorized access to draft/provisional/revision content via token replay.
- Stealthy one-click exploitation against logged-in editors/admins.
- No dependency on forwarded-host poisoning.
References
Summary
Craft CMS has a CSRF issue in the preview token endpoint at
/actions/preview/create-token. The endpoint accepts an attacker-suppliedpreviewToken.Because the action does not require POST and does not enforce a CSRF token, an attacker can force a logged-in victim editor to mint a preview token chosen by the attacker.
That token can then be used by the attacker (without authentication) to access previewed/unpublished content tied to the victim’s authorized preview scope.
Preconditions
canonicalIdand public URL path of that entry.1) Attacker prepares a fixed token
Use any 32-character value, for example:
2) CSRF victim into minting that token
Send the victim a link (or top-level redirect) such as:
If the victim is logged in and authorized for
previewElement:123, Craft creates that exact token.3) Attacker accesses preview content unauthenticated
curl -i 'https://TARGET/news/known-entry-slug?token=aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa'Expected vulnerable behavior:
Impact
References