# CVE-2026-65889: Balbooa Gridbox for Joomla unauthenticated recursive directory deletion

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-65889-balbooa-gridbox-for-joomla-unauthenticated-recursive-directory  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-07-29. Updated: 2026-07-29  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-65889 · Severity: info · CVSS 9.2 · Published 2026-07-29

The Gridbox extension for Joomla, a popular drag-and-drop page builder, contains a vulnerability that allows unauthenticated users to delete directories on the server. An attacker can exploit this to cause significant data loss or take the website offline by deleting critical system or application folders. This issue is part of a larger set of critical vulnerabilities affecting the product that could lead to complete site compromise.

Technologies: [Balbooa Gridbox](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/gridbox). Vendors: [Balbooa](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/balbooa).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-65889 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-65889 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-65889?** Informational severity, with a CVSS score of 9.2, published 29 July 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Balbooa Gridbox 1.0.0-2.20.1.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-65889?** A patch was published on 2026-07-20: Initial partial fix in version 2.20.1 Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-65889 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-65889?** Check whether you run Balbooa Gridbox at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## Technical details

A vulnerability in the 'generateNewApp' method of the Balbooa Gridbox extension (com_gridbox) for Joomla allows for unauthenticated recursive directory deletion. The flaw stems from improper access control (CWE-284) and path traversal (CWE-22) vulnerabilities, where the application fails to validate user-supplied input before performing file system operations. A remote, unauthenticated attacker can send a specially crafted HTTP request to trigger the deletion of arbitrary directories reachable by the web server process. This can lead to a permanent Denial of Service (DoS) or loss of application data. The issue is resolved in version 2.20.2.

## Affected products

- balbooa.com Gridbox extension for Joomla 1.0.0-2.20.1

## Timeline

- 2026-07-20: patched: Initial partial fix in version 2.20.1
- 2026-07-29: advisory: Full disclosure of 23 vulnerabilities including this one
- 2026-07-29: disclosed: CVE-2026-65889 published

## References

- [https://mysites.guru/blog/gridbox-23-critical-vulnerabilities/](https://mysites.guru/blog/gridbox-23-critical-vulnerabilities/)
- [https://www.balbooa.com/gridbox](https://www.balbooa.com/gridbox)

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