PhpbbApplication · Phpbb Group

CVE-2007-1695

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2007-03-27
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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 includes/usercp_register.php in phpBB 2.0.19 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary PHP code via a URL in the phpbb_root_path parameter. NOTE: this issue has been disputed by third-party researchers, stating that the file checks for a global constant and cannot be accessed directly

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 phpBB 2.0.19's includes/usercp_register.php allows arbitrary PHP code execution through the phpbb_root_path parameter. The vulnerability enables attackers to inject malicious code by supplying a URL to the parameter. However, third-party researchers dispute the exploitability, claiming the file includes a global constant check preventing direct access.

MitigationVerify the disputed global constant check in the affected file; if exploitable, upgrade phpBB to the latest version or apply vendor patches. Additionally, disable allow_url_fopen and allow_url_include in PHP configuration as a defense-in-depth measure.

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
PhpbbApplication
Affected:= 2.0.19

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
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

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 phpBB version
    Locate the version file (usually version.php in the includes directory or check the admin panel) and identify the installed version number
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 2.0.19
  2. Verify vulnerable file exists
    Check for the presence of includes/usercp_register.php in the web root
    Affected if The file exists at includes/usercp_register.php in the phpBB installation directory
  3. Inspect the global constant check
    Open includes/usercp_register.php and search for a check that defines or verifies a constant (such as defined( IN_PHPBB ) or similar) near the beginning of the file
    Affected if The constant check is missing, commented out, or can be bypassed, making the file directly accessible without authentication
  4. Review PHP configuration settings
    Check php.ini or use phpinfo() to verify the values of allow_url_fopen and allow_url_include settings
    Affected if allow_url_fopen or allow_url_include is enabled, allowing remote URL inclusion
  5. Check file permissions and web server access
    Verify that includes/usercp_register.php is accessible via the web server without requiring administrator authentication
    Affected if The file can be accessed directly via HTTP without proper authentication checks

A user is affected if phpBB version 2.0.19 is installed, the includes/usercp_register.php file exists, and the global constant check is missing or bypassable, combined with allow_url_fopen being enabled in PHP configuration.

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

Verify the disputed global constant check in the affected file; if exploitable, upgrade phpBB to the latest version or apply vendor patches. Additionally, disable allow_url_fopen and allow_url_include in PHP configuration as a defense-in-depth measure.

Fix this in Phpbb 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-2007-1695 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
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