GitHub Advisoryadvisory · PyPI

GHSA-fwjf-m4qw-9f2x django CMS: Page cache ignores plugin-declared Vary headers (disclosure & poisoning)

MEDIUM Published 2026-08-24 Modified 2026-08-24 Official page ↗
Aliases
CVE-2026-54625
Ecosystem
PyPI
Packages
django-cms
Severity
Moderate
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
Weaknesses
CWE-349, CWE-524
Reviewed
2026-08-24

Affected packages

• PyPI django-cms: < 5.0.8 → fixed in 5.0.8

Description

Summary The CMS page cache key ignores the request headers that plugins declare via `get_vary_cache_on()`. The header is added to the response `Vary` header, but the CMS's own cache key does not incorporate the header values, so the first visitor's variant is served to all subsequent visitors regardless of their header values. Details `_page_cache_key` (in `cms/cache/page.py`) keys only on cache prefix, site, language, path and timezone. `set_page_cache` collects the plugin-declared vary headers and calls `patch_vary_headers(response, ...)` (affecting only the emitted `Vary` header), but stores and retrieves the cached page under the header-agnostic key. `get_page_cache` therefore returns whichever variant was cached first. Impact • Information disclosure: when a plugin varies its output on a request header (e.g. `Country-Code`), the variant rendered for the first anonymous visitor is served to everyone until the entry expires, leaking request-specific content across users. • Cache poisoning: an unauthenticated attacker can prime the anonymous page cache with content rendered from attacker-chosen header values, which is then served to subsequent visitors. Applies only when `CMS_PAGE_CACHE` is enabled and at least one plugin implements `get_vary_cache_on()`. Patches Fixed in 5.0.8: the page cache now folds the request's values implements `get_vary_cache_on()`. Patches Fixed in 5.0.8: the page cache now folds the request's values for plugin-declared vary headers into the content key. The set of vary headers is persisted on write and looked up first on read (mirroring Django's `learn_cache_key`/`get_cache_key`); a missing header-list entry degrades to a cache miss, never a wrong-variant hit. Workarounds Disable `CMS_PAGE_CACHE`, or avoid plugins that rely on `get_vary_cache_on()`, until upgraded. Credits Reported by the security team at the University of Sydney ([@reporter]).

Related

Alias · CVE (1)

  • CVE-2026-54625 django CMS is a content management system powered by Django. vulnerability

Weakness · CWE (2)

  • CWE-349 Acceptance of Extraneous Untrusted Data With Trusted Data weakness
  • CWE-524 Use of Cache Containing Sensitive Information weakness

References