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NewsscriptApplication · Stefan Ernst

CVE-2006-4768

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2006-09-13
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
59/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
Multiple direct static code injection vulnerabilities in add_go.php in Stefan Ernst Newsscript (aka WM-News) 0.5 beta allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary PHP code via the (1) description, (2) issue, (3) title, (4) var, (5) name, (6) keywords, and (7) note parameters, which are stored in an article file. NOTE: the original source of this vulnerability is unknown; the details are obtained from third party information and CVE post-disclosure analysis.

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

WM-News 0.5 beta contains direct static code injection vulnerabilities in add_go.php. User-supplied input from multiple parameters (description, issue, title, var, name, keywords, note) is stored directly into article files without sanitization, allowing arbitrary PHP code injection that executes when the file is later included by the PHP interpreter.

MitigationImplement strict input validation and sanitization for all user inputs before storage; use htmlspecialchars() or equivalent to escape dangerous characters, and avoid storing raw PHP code in article files.

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
NewsscriptApplication
Affected:= 0.5_beta

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
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 checks

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

  1. Locate WM-News installation
    Search for files named 'add_go.php' or directories containing 'wm-news', 'news', or similar newsscript folders in your web root. Check common paths like /var/www/html, /home/*/public_html, or C:\inetpub\wwwroot.
    Affected if WM-News is found in the web accessible directory tree.
  2. Identify WM-News version
    Open any PHP file in the WM-News directory and look for version strings (often in comments at the top). Common markers include '0.5', 'beta', or the file header comments. Compare against the affected version 0.5_beta.
    Affected if The installed version is 0.5_beta (exact match).
  3. Verify add_go.php exists
    Confirm the vulnerable file add_go.php exists in the WM-News installation directory. Check if it handles parameters named description, issue, title, var, name, keywords, or note.
    Affected if add_go.php is present and processes the listed parameters.
  4. Inspect article storage directory
    Locate the directory where WM-News stores article files (commonly 'data/', 'articles/', or similar). Examine recently created or modified files for PHP code patterns like '<?php', '<?=', or system command calls.
    Affected if Article files contain unsanitized PHP code or suspicious eval() patterns.
  5. Check web server access logs
    Review web server access logs (access.log, error.log) for requests to add_go.php with the vulnerable parameters. Look for unusual encoded characters or PHP code patterns in the query strings.
    Affected if Logs show requests containing PHP code in the vulnerable parameter fields.

A user is affected if WM-News version 0.5_beta is installed, add_go.php is accessible, and article files or logs show unsanitized PHP code injection attempts or successful injections.

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

Implement strict input validation and sanitization for all user inputs before storage; use htmlspecialchars() or equivalent to escape dangerous characters, and avoid storing raw PHP code in article files.

Fix this in Newsscript Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,620
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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-2006-4768 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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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