CVE-2006-3615
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 · uneditedMultiple PHP remote file inclusion vulnerabilities in Phorum 5.1.14, when register_globals is enabled, allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary PHP code via unspecified vectors related to an uninitialized variable.
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 confidencePhorum 5.1.14 contains multiple remote file inclusion vulnerabilities where an uninitialized variable can be manipulated to include remote PHP code, leading to arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability is exploitable when PHP's register_globals setting is enabled, a legacy configuration that was common in older PHP installations.
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= 5.1.14CVSS 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
- High
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:H/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
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 installed Phorum versionLocate the version file in your Phorum installation (commonly includes/version.php or similar), or check the admin interface for the version numberAffected if The installed version is Phorum 5.1.14 exactly, as this is the only version listed as affected in this CVE
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Check PHP register_globals settingCreate a PHP info page (<?php phpinfo(); ?>) and search for 'register_globals' in the output, or check your php.ini file for 'register_globals = On'Affected if register_globals is set to On - this is the critical configuration required for the uninitialized variable exploitation to succeed
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Identify vulnerable include statements in Phorum codeSearch Phorum source files for uninitialized variable usage in include/require statements (common patterns: include($var); or include($path."/file.php");) particularly in common.php or other core filesAffected if Code contains include/require statements using uninitialized variables that could be manipulated via URL parameters when register_globals is enabled
You are affected if running Phorum 5.1.14 with PHP register_globals enabled, allowing remote file inclusion via manipulated uninitialized variables in the codebase.
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 dataDisable PHP's register_globals setting in php.ini or .htaccess, and upgrade Phorum to a current supported version that does not rely on register_globals.
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- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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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-2006-3615 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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