---
id: CVE-2023-32686
aliases:
  - GHSA-x7c2-7wvg-jpx7
  - PYSEC-2026-1500
title: kiwitcms vulnerable to stored XSS via unrestricted files upload
summary: kiwitcms vulnerable to stored XSS via unrestricted files upload
severity: medium
cvss: 5.4
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N'
vendor: kiwitcms
product: kiwitcms
ecosystem: pip
affected:
  - kiwitcms < 12.3
patched:
  - kiwitcms 12.3
published: '2023-05-22'
updated: '2026-09-10'
sourceUpdated: '2026-09-10T03:50:01.766513034Z'
source: OSV
sourceUrl: 'https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-x7c2-7wvg-jpx7'
references:
  - url: 'https://github.com/kiwitcms/Kiwi/security/advisories/GHSA-2wcr-87wf-cf9j'
  - url: 'https://github.com/kiwitcms/Kiwi/security/advisories/GHSA-fwcf-753v-fgcj'
  - url: 'https://github.com/kiwitcms/Kiwi/security/advisories/GHSA-x7c2-7wvg-jpx7'
  - url: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-32686'
  - url: 'https://github.com/kiwitcms/Kiwi'
  - url: 'https://kiwitcms.org/blog/kiwi-tcms-team/2023/05/22/kiwi-tcms-123'
tags:
  - osv
  - pip
epss: 0.00431
epssPercentile: 0.36926
ingestedAt: '2026-07-08T18:25:54.134Z'
---

## Overview

### Impact
Kiwi TCMS allows users to upload attachments to test plans, test cases, etc. Earlier versions of Kiwi TCMS had introduced upload validators in order to prevent potentially dangerous files from being uploaded, see [GHSA-fwcf-753v-fgcj](https://github.com/kiwitcms/Kiwi/security/advisories/GHSA-fwcf-753v-fgcj) and Content-Security-Policy definition to prevent cross-site-scripting attacks, see [GHSA-2wcr-87wf-cf9j](https://github.com/kiwitcms/Kiwi/security/advisories/GHSA-2wcr-87wf-cf9j).

The upload validation checks were not robust enough which left the possibility of an attacker to circumvent them and upload a potentially dangerous file. Exploting this flaw a combination of files could be uploaded so that they work together to circumvent the existing Content-Security-Policy and allow execution of arbitrary JavaScript in the browser.

### Patches
- File upload validation code has been improved
- Kiwi TCMS will now force `Content-Type: text/plain`  when serving uploaded files

### Workarounds

1) Force the Content-Type header via a custom Django middleware, see `ExtraHeadersMiddleware` in https://github.com/kiwitcms/Kiwi/blob/master/tcms/core/middleware.py#L23 and/or
2) Force the Content-Type header via Nginx overrides, see `location /uploads/` in https://github.com/kiwitcms/Kiwi/blob/master/etc/nginx.conf

### References
Disclosed by [Antonio Spataro](https://huntr.dev/bounties/db75275f-8bcd-482b-ae12-feff660d4794) and [ek1ng](https://huntr.dev/bounties/46d5b535-bdff-4b98-8691-a907591fcf10/). Additional credits to [Ahmed Rabeaa Mosa](https://huntr.dev/bounties/cbc2676a-90ff-457f-9cdc-2a7981f960f3/).


## Affected packages

- `kiwitcms < 12.3`

## Remediation

Upgrade to a patched release:

- `kiwitcms 12.3`