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MamboApplication

CVE-2006-4286

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v2.0 Published 2006-08-22
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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
PHP remote file inclusion vulnerability in contentpublisher.php in the contentpublisher component (com_contentpublisher) for Mambo allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary PHP code via a URL in the mosConfig_absolute_path parameter. NOTE: this issue has been disputed by third parties who state that contentpublisher.php protects against direct request in the most recent version. The original researcher is known to be frequently inaccurate

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 confidence

Remote file inclusion vulnerability in Mambo's com_contentpublisher component allows execution of arbitrary PHP code through the mosConfig_absolute_path parameter in contentpublisher.php. The vulnerability enables attackers to include remote PHP files, leading to complete system compromise. However, the finding is disputed by third parties who claim newer versions protect against direct requests, and the original researcher's reliability has been questioned.

MitigationUpgrade to the latest version of the contentpublisher component which includes protection against direct requests, or implement proper input validation/sanitization on the mosConfig_absolute_path parameter to prevent unauthorized file inclusions.

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
MamboApplication
Affected:= 4.0.14= 4.5.0.2= 4.5.1.3= 4.5.1_1.0.9= 4.5.1a= 4.5.2= 4.5.2.1= 4.5.2.2= 4.5.2.3= 4.5.3h= 4.5_1.0.0= 4.5_1.0.1

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
Partial
Availability
Partial

AV:N/AC:L/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 checks

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

  1. Confirm Mambo installation exists
    Check for Mambo installation by looking for the /administrator/ directory or index.php with Mambo content management system files in the web root
    Affected if Mambo CMS is installed on the server
  2. Identify Mambo version
    Check the version.php file in the includes directory or the administrator/index.php for the Mambo version string, or query the database if accessible
    Affected if The installed version matches any of these: 4.0.14, 4.5.0.2, 4.5.1.3, 4.5.1_1.0.9, 4.5.1a, 4.5.2, 4.5.2.1, 4.5.2.2, 4.5.2.3, 4.5.3h, 4.5_1.0.0, or 4.5_1.0.1
  3. Check for com_contentpublisher component
    Look for the contentpublisher.php file in the components/com_contentpublisher/ directory or the component installation in the /administrator/components/com_contentpublisher/ path
    Affected if The contentpublisher component is installed on the Mambo site
  4. Verify direct access to vulnerable script
    Attempt to access the contentpublisher.php file directly via HTTP request (e.g., GET to /components/com_contentpublisher/contentpublisher.php) and check if the script executes without requiring authentication
    Affected if The script is directly accessible without authentication and accepts the mosConfig_absolute_path parameter
  5. Test for RFI vulnerability
    Send a request to contentpublisher.php with a malicious mosConfig_absolute_path parameter pointing to an external URL, observing if the application attempts to include the external file
    Affected if The application includes or attempts to include files from the supplied mosConfig_absolute_path parameter without validation

A system is affected if it runs a vulnerable Mambo version (4.0.14 through 4.5_1.0.1) with the com_contentpublisher component installed and the vulnerable script is directly accessible without authentication controls on the mosConfig_absolute_path parameter.

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

Upgrade to the latest version of the contentpublisher component which includes protection against direct requests, or implement proper input validation/sanitization on the mosConfig_absolute_path parameter to prevent unauthorized file inclusions.

Fix this in Mambo Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,970
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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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2006-4286 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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
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