CVE-2006-1816
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 · uneditedPHP remote file inclusion vulnerability in VBulletin 3.5.1, 3.5.2, and 3.5.4 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a URL in the systempath parameter to (1) ImpExModule.php, (2) ImpExController.php, and (3) ImpExDisplay.php.
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 confidenceRemote file inclusion vulnerability in vBulletin 3.5.x allows attackers to inject arbitrary code via the systempath parameter in ImpExModule.php, ImpExController.php, and ImpExDisplay.php. By supplying a URL to a malicious PHP file, attackers can achieve remote code execution on the server.
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= 3.5.1= 3.5.2= 3.5.4CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- None
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/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 vBulletin installation and versionLocate and read the version file. Common paths: includes/vBulletin_version.php, or check the admincp/version.php file. Alternatively, view the HTML source of any vBulletin page for a version comment, or grep for '3.5' in PHP files.Affected if The installed version is 3.5.1, 3.5.2, or 3.5.4 exactly.
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Verify vulnerable ImpEx files existCheck for the presence of ImpExModule.php, ImpExController.php, and ImpExDisplay.php in the admincp directory. Common path: admincp/ImpExModule.php. Use 'find' or file search to locate these files.Affected if Any of these three ImpEx PHP files exist in the web-accessible admincp folder.
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Inspect systempath parameter handling in ImpEx filesOpen each ImpEx file (ImpExModule.php, ImpExController.php, ImpExDisplay.php) and search for 'systempath'. Examine how this variable is used - look for include(), include_once(), require(), or require_once() calls using this parameter without validation.Affected if The code uses the systempath parameter directly in include/require statements without sanitization or validation checks.
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Check PHP runtime configuration for RFI feasibilityCheck PHP configuration settings: look for allow_url_fopen=On and allow_url_include=On in php.ini, or run 'php -i' or create a phpinfo() script to verify. Attackers need allow_url_fopen enabled for RFI to succeed.Affected if allow_url_fopen is enabled (On) in PHP configuration.
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Review web server access logs for exploitation attemptsSearch Apache/nginx access logs for requests to ImpEx files containing 'systempath=' with a URL value, such as 'systempath=http://'. Look for patterns indicating reconnaissance or exploitation.Affected if Logs show requests to ImpEx files with a URL passed to the systempath parameter.
A system is affected if it runs vBulletin version 3.5.1, 3.5.2, or 3.5.4, has the ImpEx files accessible, contains the vulnerable systempath include pattern, and has allow_url_fopen enabled.
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 vBulletin to the latest patched version or apply vendor-supplied patches to fix the input validation in the ImpEx files. If immediate upgrade is not feasible, disable PHP's allow_url_fopen and allow_url_include settings and restrict web server permissions.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2006-1816 — 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-2006-1816 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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