dbcve.org
PhpsysinfoApplication

CVE-2005-0869

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2005-05-02
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
59/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
phpSysInfo 2.3 allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information via a direct request to (1) class.OpenBSD.inc.php, (2) class.NetBSD.inc.php, (3) class.FreeBSD.inc.php, (4) class.Darwin.inc.php, (5) XPath.class.php, (6) system_header.php, or (7) system_footer.php, which reveal the path in a PHP 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 confidence

phpSysInfo 2.3 contains multiple PHP files that, when accessed directly, reveal the server's filesystem path in PHP error messages. The affected files include class.OpenBSD.inc.php, class.NetBSD.inc.php, class.FreeBSD.inc.php, class.Darwin.inc.php, XPath.class.php, system_header.php, and system_footer.php. An attacker can enumerate these files to discover the installation path, which aids in reconnaissance and potential further attacks.

MitigationRestrict direct web access to include-only PHP files via web server configuration (e.g., .htaccess rules denying direct access, or moving these files outside the web root). Additionally, disable PHP error_display in production environments to prevent error messages from leaking path information.

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
PhpsysinfoApplication
Affected:= 2.3

CVSS 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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify if phpSysInfo 2.3 is installed
    Search the web root for phpSysInfo files or directories. Look for a 'phpSysInfo' folder or check common paths like /phpSysInfo/, /phpsysinfo/, or search for the file 'index.php' containing 'phpSysInfo' in the content.
    Affected if phpSysInfo version 2.3 is found on the server
  2. Check if vulnerable PHP files are directly accessible
    Attempt to access each of the following files via HTTP: class.OpenBSD.inc.php, class.NetBSD.inc.php, class.FreeBSD.inc.php, class.Darwin.inc.php, XPath.class.php, system_header.php, and system_footer.php. These would typically be in the includes/ or directly in the phpSysInfo directory.
    Affected if HTTP requests to any of these files return PHP error messages or output rather than being blocked or returning a 403/404
  3. Verify if PHP error display is enabled
    Check the PHP configuration file (php.ini) for the setting 'display_errors'. This can also be checked at runtime by creating a test PHP file that outputs the value of 'ini_get("display_errors")'.
    Affected if display_errors is set to On or 1, which would allow error messages with filesystem paths to be shown to visitors
  4. Confirm the files are accessed without include/require guards
    Inspect the source code of the vulnerable files (class.OpenBSD.inc.php, class.NetBSD.inc.php, etc.) to verify they lack proper include guards at the top that would prevent direct execution.
    Affected if The files can be executed directly via HTTP without being included by another PHP script first

A server is affected if phpSysInfo 2.3 is installed and any of the listed PHP files can be accessed directly via HTTP, especially with error display enabled, resulting in filesystem path disclosure.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Restrict direct web access to include-only PHP files via web server configuration (e.g., .htaccess rules denying direct access, or moving these files outside the web root). Additionally, disable PHP error_display in production environments to prevent error messages from leaking path information.

Fix this in Phpsysinfo Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $890
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,424.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2005-0869 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2005-0869 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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