CVE Catalog

CVE-2004-1315

High
Published: Translated: NVD NIST

Summary

The vulnerability in viewtopic.php of phpBB 2.x before 2.0.11 improperly URL decodes the highlight parameter when extracting words and phrases to highlight, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary PHP code by double-encoding the highlight value so that special characters are inserted into the result, which is then processed by PHP exec, as exploited by the Santy.A worm.

Risk Assessment

The risk for the organization is the possibility of remote arbitrary PHP code execution on the server, which can lead to complete system compromise, data theft, or further spread of malware.

Recommendation

It is recommended to immediately upgrade phpBB to version 2.0.11 or later, which includes a fix for this vulnerability. Also check the system for signs of compromise by the Santy.A worm.

Related vulnerabilities

Original NVD description (English source)

viewtopic.php in phpBB 2.x before 2.0.11 improperly URL decodes the highlight parameter when extracting words and phrases to highlight, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary PHP code by double-encoding the highlight value so that special characters are inserted into the result, which is then processed by PHP exec, as exploited by the Santy.A worm.

Vulnerability data from NVD (NIST) · CISA KEV · EPSS