---
title: "WEB-CMS-010 Joomla Version Disclosed"
canonical: https://openvapt.com/checks/WEB-CMS-010.html
html: https://openvapt.com/checks/WEB-CMS-010.html
site: OpenVAPT, https://openvapt.com/
license: OpenVAPT Source-Available Licence 1.3, https://openvapt.com/legal/licence-text.html
modified: 2026-10-14
version: 0.1.0-alpha.6
---

# WEB-CMS-010 Joomla Version Disclosed

Checks whether a Joomla site serves its version manifest at /administrator/manifests/files/joomla.xml.

- Domain: Web Apps
- Severity: Low
- Control category: Information Exposure
- Fix effort: low
- CVSS v3.1 vector: `CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N`
- CIS Controls v8: 16.7
- NIST CSF 2.0: PR.PS-01
- CWE: CWE-497
- OWASP Top 10 2021: A05:2021, A06:2021
- OWASP ASVS 4.0.3: 14.3.3
- OWASP WSTG v4.2: WSTG-INFO-08
- NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5: SI-11

## Why It Matters

The manifest gives the exact Joomla version, which lets automated tools pick exploits for known vulnerabilities, such as the unauthenticated information disclosure CVE-2023-23752.

## How It Detects

Sends one GET for /administrator/manifests/files/joomla.xml and fails on a 200 response that contains a <version> element.

## How to Fix

Block the folder at the web server (Apache: <Directory "/path/administrator/manifests"> Require all denied </Directory>; nginx: location ^~ /administrator/manifests/ { deny all; }) and keep Joomla updated.

## How to Verify

```
curl -s -o /dev/null -w '%{http_code}' https://<site>/administrator/manifests/files/joomla.xml  prints 403 or 404.
```

## Learn the Theory

- [P6 Information Exposure and Misconfiguration](https://openvapt.com/academy/p6.md)
- [P14 CMS Hardening in Depth: WordPress, Joomla and Drupal](https://openvapt.com/academy/p14.md)

## References

- [Joomla Documentation, Security Checklist](https://docs.joomla.org/Security_Checklist)
- [NVD, CVE-2023-23752](https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/cve-2023-23752)

## Source Code

https://github.com/OpenVAPT/openvapt/blob/574f7f3333c44b75a3c649e2d93a76d507f75adf/internal/checks/web/cms_more.go

Run it: `openvapt scan --only WEB-CMS-010`. Read it offline: `openvapt explain WEB-CMS-010`.

---

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