CVE-2004-0729
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedPhpBB 2.0.8 allows remote attackers to gain sensitive information via an invalid (1) category_rows parameter to index.php, (2) faq parameter to faq.php, or (3) ranksrow parameter to profile.php, which reveal the full path in an error message.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidencePhpBB 2.0.8 contains multiple path disclosure vulnerabilities where invalid parameters (category_rows in index.php, faq in faq.php, and ranksrow in profile.php) cause the application to reveal full server file paths in error messages. This information could aid attackers in mapping the system architecture for further exploitation.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= 2.0.8= 2.0.8aCVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the installed PhpBB versionLocate the version file or configuration in your PhpBB installation directory and verify the exact version numberAffected if The installed version is exactly 2.0.8 or 2.0.8a
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Verify PHP display_errors setting is enabledCheck your PHP configuration (php.ini) or run phpinfo() to determine if display_errors is set to OnAffected if display_errors is enabled (On) in PHP configuration - this is required for path disclosure to be visible
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Test index.php for path disclosureRequest index.php with an invalid category_rows parameter (e.g., index.php?category_rows=INVALID) and examine any error messages returnedAffected if Error messages display absolute server file paths
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Test faq.php for path disclosureRequest faq.php with an invalid faq parameter (e.g., faq.php?faq=INVALID) and inspect any error messagesAffected if Error messages display absolute server file paths
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Test profile.php for path disclosureRequest profile.php with an invalid ranksrow parameter (e.g., profile.php?ranksrow=INVALID) and review any error messagesAffected if Error messages display absolute server file paths
You are affected if you are running PhpBB version 2.0.8 or 2.0.8a, PHP display_errors is enabled, AND submitting invalid parameters to index.php, faq.php, or profile.php reveals server file paths in error messages.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataUpgrade PhpBB to a patched version that addresses this vulnerability, or alternatively disable PHP error display (display_errors=Off) in the web server configuration to prevent path disclosure.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2004-0729 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2004-0729 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data