CVE-2005-3763
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 · uneditedExponent CMS 0.96.3 and later versions includes the full installation path in the base parameter to thumb.php, which allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information. NOTE: this might be resultant from an absolute path traversal vulnerability.
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 · moderate confidenceExponent CMS 0.96.3 and later versions expose the full server installation path through the 'base' parameter in thumb.php, allowing remote attackers to obtain sensitive path information that could aid in further attacks.
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= 0.94= 0.95= 0.96.1= 0.96.3= 0.96.4CVSS 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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Confirm Exponent CMS installation and versionLocate the Exponent CMS installation directory and check for version information, typically found in the CMS about page, a version.php file, or the installer documentation within the web rootAffected if The installed version is 0.94, 0.95, 0.96.1, 0.96.3, or 0.96.4
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Locate thumb.php in the web rootSearch the Exponent CMS installation directory for thumb.php, which is commonly located in the main CMS folder or an includes directory accessible via web requestAffected if thumb.php exists and is web-accessible in the Exponent CMS installation
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Test the base parameter for path disclosureSend an HTTP request to thumb.php with a crafted 'base' parameter (for example: thumb.php?base=invalid or thumb.php?base=../) and observe if the error response or output reveals the full server file system pathAffected if The response displays the full absolute server path to the Exponent CMS installation directory
The environment is affected if Exponent CMS version 0.94, 0.95, 0.96.1, 0.96.3, or 0.96.4 is installed, thumb.php is accessible, and the base parameter can be manipulated to disclose the server's file system paths in the response.
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 dataRemove or sanitize the base parameter in thumb.php to prevent full path disclosure, and implement proper error handling that does not reveal system paths.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,744.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2005-3763 — 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-2005-3763 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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- 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
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