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Simple Machines ForumApplication · Simple Machines

CVE-2006-4467

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v2.0 Published 2006-08-31
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 1.1_rc2 or later.
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
Simple Machines Forum (SMF) 1.1RCx before 1.1RC3, and 1.0.x before 1.0.8, does not properly unset variables when the input data includes a numeric parameter with a value matching an alphanumeric parameter's hash value, which allows remote attackers to perform directory traversal attacks to read arbitrary local files, lock topics, and possibly have other security impacts. NOTE: it could be argued that this vulnerability is due to a bug in the unset PHP command (CVE-2006-3017) and the proper fix should be in PHP; if so, then this should not be treated as a vulnerability in Simple Machines Forum.

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 confidence

Simple Machines Forum (SMF) versions 1.1RCx before 1.1RC3 and 1.0.x before 1.0.8 have a variable unset handling vulnerability where numeric parameter values matching alphanumeric parameter hash values allow attackers to manipulate PHP variable state. This enables directory traversal to read arbitrary local files and topic locking. The issue is linked to a PHP unset() behavior bug (CVE-2006-3017).

MitigationUpgrade SMF to version 1.1RC3/1.0.8 or later, or alternatively upgrade PHP to address the underlying unset() behavior bug. Also restrict web server file permissions and disable allow_url_fopen to limit file read impact.

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
Simple Machines ForumApplication
Affected:<= 1.0.7<= 1.1_rc2

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. Identify if Simple Machines Forum is installed
    Look for SMF installation directories (commonly /forum, /smf, or under web root). Check for index.php that contains 'Simple Machines Forum' or 'SMF' in the source code.
    Affected if SMF is not present on the system, the vulnerability does not apply.
  2. Determine the installed SMF version
    Check the file Sources/Subs.php or the Settings.php for a $db_version variable, or log into the SMF admin panel and check the version displayed in the footer or admin area.
    Affected if The installed version is 1.0.x before 1.0.8, or 1.1RCx before 1.1RC3.
  3. Verify PHP version
    Run 'php -v' from command line or create a PHP file with '<?php phpinfo(); ?>' accessed via web browser to check the PHP version.
    Affected if PHP versions affected by CVE-2006-3017 (the underlying unset() bug) increase exploitability, though the SMF vulnerability can still apply regardless of PHP version.
  4. Check if the vulnerable variable handling code exists
    Examine the Sources/Subs.php file for code that handles variable unset through hash comparison of parameters. Look for patterns involving unset() with numeric-to-alphanumeric hash comparisons.
    Affected if The vulnerable code pattern (unset handling via hash comparison) is present in the SMF installation.
  5. Confirm web server file permissions
    Review the web server user permissions on directories that SMF can access. Check if the SMF web server process has read access to sensitive files outside the web root.
    Affected if The web server user has broad read permissions, which would allow successful directory traversal exploitation.

You are affected if Simple Machines Forum is installed with version 1.0.7 or earlier, or 1.1RC2 or earlier, and the vulnerable variable unset handling code is present in the installation.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 1.1_rc2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade SMF to version 1.1RC3/1.0.8 or later, or alternatively upgrade PHP to address the underlying unset() behavior bug. Also restrict web server file permissions and disable allow_url_fopen to limit file read impact.

Fix this in Simple Machines Forum Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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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-2006-4467 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data