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DownloadengineApplication · Alex

CVE-2006-5459

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v2.0 Published 2006-10-23
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 1.4.2 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
Multiple PHP remote file inclusion vulnerabilities in Download-Engine 1.4.2 and earlier allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary PHP code via a URL in the (1) $_ENGINE[eng_dir] and possibly (2) spaw_root parameters in admin/includes/spaw/spaw_script.js.php, and the (3) $_ENGINE[eng_dir], (4) $spaw_root, (5) $spaw_dir, and (6) $spaw_base_url parameters in admin/includes/spaw/config/spaw_control.config.php, different vectors than CVE-2006-5291. NOTE: CVE analysis as of 20061021 is inconclusive, but suggests that some or all of the suggested attack vectors are ineffective.

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

Remote File Inclusion (RFI) vulnerability in Download-Engine's admin/includes/spaw/ directory where the $_ENGINE[eng_dir], spaw_root, $spaw_dir, and $spaw_base_url parameters are used in dynamic include/require statements without sanitization, allowing attackers to inject arbitrary PHP code via a remote URL.

MitigationUpgrade to a patched version of Download-Engine beyond 1.4.2; as an interim measure, disable allow_url_fopen and allow_url_include in php.ini and implement strict input validation on all variables used in include/require statements.

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
DownloadengineApplication
Affected:<= 1.4.2

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 Alex Downloadengine installation
    Locate the main index.php or configuration file for the Download-Engine application in the web root directory.
    Affected if The application is Alex Downloadengine and the file structure matches the Download-Engine CMS.
  2. Identify the installed version
    Open the main script or a version/configuration file in the web root and look for a version number or release date indicator.
    Affected if The installed version is 1.4.2 or any version lower than 1.4.2.
  3. Verify the vulnerable directory exists
    Check if the directory admin/includes/spaw/ exists within the web application root.
    Affected if The directory admin/includes/spaw/ is present and contains PHP files that handle the affected parameters.
  4. Check PHP configuration for remote includes
    Examine php.ini or use phpinfo() to verify if allow_url_fopen and allow_url_include settings are enabled.
    Affected if allow_url_fopen or allow_url_include is set to On in the PHP configuration, allowing remote URLs to be included.
  5. Inspect parameter usage in vulnerable scripts
    Examine PHP files in admin/includes/spaw/ and search for dynamic include/require statements using $_ENGINE[eng_dir], spaw_root, $spaw_dir, or $spaw_base_url without proper sanitization.
    Affected if These parameters are used in include/require statements without validation, allowing arbitrary URL injection.

A user is affected if they are running Alex Downloadengine version 1.4.2 or lower, the admin/includes/spaw/ directory exists, PHP allows remote URL inclusion, and the affected parameters are used unsanitized in dynamic includes.

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 1.4.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to a patched version of Download-Engine beyond 1.4.2; as an interim measure, disable allow_url_fopen and allow_url_include in php.ini and implement strict input validation on all variables used in include/require statements.

Fix this in Downloadengine Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,980
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,968.

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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-2006-5459 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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