CVE-2005-4156
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 · uneditedUnspecified vulnerability in Mambo 4.5 (1.0.0) through 4.5 (1.0.9), with magic_quotes_gpc disabled, allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files and possibly cause a denial of service via a query string that ends with a NULL character.
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 confidenceMambo 4.5.x allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files on the server via a query string ending with a NULL character (%00), exploiting improper input handling when magic_quotes_gpc is disabled. This is a classic NULL byte injection attack that bypasses path sanitization in the vulnerable versions.
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= 1.0.0= 1.0.1= 1.0.2= 1.0.3= 1.0.3_beta= 1.0.9CVSS 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
- Complete
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- Complete
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:N/A:C
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 Mambo installationIdentify whether Mambo Open Source CMS is installed on the server by checking for Mambo-related directories, admin panels, or the presence of Mambo-specific configuration files in the web root.Affected if Mambo is not present on the server, the system is not affected by this vulnerability.
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Determine Mambo versionLocate the version file or admin dashboard that displays the installed Mambo version. Common locations include the administrator panel or a VERSION file in the Mambo root directory.Affected if The installed version is 1.0.0, 1.0.1, 1.0.2, 1.0.3, 1.0.3_beta, or 1.0.9 - the system falls within the affected version range.
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Check PHP magic_quotes_gpc settingCreate a PHP info file (phpinfo.php) or check the PHP configuration directly to determine the current value of the magic_quotes_gpc directive.Affected if magic_quotes_gpc is set to Off - the vulnerability becomes exploitable as the NULL byte injection can bypass path sanitization.
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Verify exposed functionalityIdentify if any Mambo components or modules that handle file paths or includes are accessible via web requests without authentication.Affected if File handling components are accessible without authentication - the attack surface for the NULL byte injection exists.
The system is affected only if Mambo Open Source versions 1.0.0 through 1.0.9 is installed AND magic_quotes_gpc is disabled in PHP, allowing the NULL byte injection to bypass input sanitization.
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 from Mambo 4.5.x to a patched version or migrate to Joomla (the fork), and ensure magic_quotes_gpc is enabled as a compensating control if upgrade is not immediately feasible.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2005-4156 — 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-2005-4156 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