plone.app.portlets Vulnerable to Remote Code Execution via TALES Injection
Impact
The Classic portlet (plone.app.portlets.portlets.classic) used its user-supplied template/macro fields to build a TALES path expression that was then evaluated by the TAL path() helper. Because the value was interpreted as a full TALES expression, a user able to add or edit a Classic portlet could supply a crafted value that escapes simple path traversal and is evaluated as arbitrary code.
This is exploitable by any authenticated user who can configure a Classic portlet - which, with the default role map, includes regular users on their personal dashboard. The result is code execution in the context of the Plone process, i.e. a privilege escalation across the trust boundary between an authenticated web user and the server-side process.
Patches
The problem has been patched in plone.app.portlets
- For Plone 6.2, upgrade to
plone.app.portlets7.0.2. - For Plone 6.1, upgrade to
plone.app.portlets6.0.4. - For Plone 6.0, upgrade to
plone.app.portlets5.0.8.
Workarounds
If upgrading is not immediately possible:
- Restrict who can manage portlets: remove the
plone.app.portlets.ManageOwnPortletspermission from untrusted roles, and limit Manage portlets to trusted administrators (usually this is already restricted to the Manager and Site Administrator roles). - Where the Classic portlet is not needed, unregister it so it cannot be added. This would need to be done by editing a
portlets.xmlin your own code, so it is not a quick fix. - You could also effectively disable showing the classic portlet by customising its template. In the Zope Management Interface go to the
portal_view_customizationstool, locate theclassic.pttemplate and click it. Click the Customize button. Remove all text and replace it with<div>The classic portlet was disabled.</div>. (This is not a recommended way of customising a template, but in this case it is quite effective.)
Credits
Discovered by Giuseppe Caruso, and reported to the Plone/Zope Security Team. Thanks!
Affected software
Click a technology to see all vulnerabilities affecting it.
| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Python (PyPI) | plone-app-portlets | >= 7.0.0, < 7.0.2, >= 6.0.0, < 6.0.4, >= 5.0.0, < 5.0.8 | 7.0.2, 6.0.4, 5.0.8 |
References
- https://github.com/plone/plone.app.portlets/security/advisories/GHSA-rr49-f9g6-c9r5
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-57149
- https://github.com/plone/plone.app.portlets/commit/1d9cacacfad9ed08b890dadc6e75741e295dc151
- https://github.com/plone/plone.app.portlets/commit/8a0641dc4054a2b13834bba00c67cd9a2fd189e1
- https://github.com/plone/plone.app.portlets/commit/fb979f01b57dd2fc06c90ee6577eb5eb285da8f1
- https://github.com/plone/plone.app.portlets
- https://github.com/plone/plone.app.portlets/releases/tag/5.0.8
- https://github.com/plone/plone.app.portlets/releases/tag/6.0.4
- https://github.com/plone/plone.app.portlets/releases/tag/7.0.2
- https://pypi.org/project/plone-app-portlets
- https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-rr49-f9g6-c9r5
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-95- Platform
- Python (PyPI)
- Package
plone-app-portlets- Disclosed
- 23.09.2026
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 15:18
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - PYSEC-2026-4138 - PyPA Advisory Database; CC BY 4.0
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-rr49-f9g6-c9r5 - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: plone-app-portlets
All published vulnerabilities of this package (Python (PyPI)), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.
- Total entries
- 2
- First → latest
- 08.2026 09.2026
- Without a fix
- 0
- Exploited in attacks
- 0
Severity breakdown
- Critical 2
Disclosures per year
- 2026: 2
-
plone.app.portlets Vulnerable to Remote Code Execution via TALES Injection this entry
Know which vulnerabilities affect your application
With the DockRay integration and software inventory enabled, DockRay checks reported component versions against known vulnerabilities and notifies you about confirmed matches. Coverage depends on the supported technology and available advisory data.