PunbbApplication

CVE-2007-2234

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v2.0 Published 2007-04-25
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 1.2.14 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
include/common.php in PunBB 1.2.14 and earlier does not properly handle a disabled ini_get function when checking the register_globals setting, which allows remote attackers to register global parameters, as demonstrated by an SQL injection attack on the search_id parameter to search.php.

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

PunBB 1.2.14 and earlier contain a vulnerability in include/common.php where the code fails to properly handle cases when the ini_get function is disabled. This allows remote attackers to register their own global variables. Combined with an SQL injection vulnerability in the search_id parameter of search.php, attackers can execute arbitrary SQL queries.

MitigationUpgrade to a patched version of PunBB or apply the vendor patch that properly handles disabled ini_get and validates/sanitizes the search_id parameter to prevent SQL injection.

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
PunbbApplication
Affected:<= 1.2.14

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 PunBB installation and version
    Locate the PunBB installation and check the version number (typically in a version file or footer). Compare your installed version to the affected range: any version <= 1.2.14 is vulnerable.
    Affected if Installed version is 1.2.14 or earlier
  2. Check if ini_get is disabled in PHP configuration
    Create a PHP script containing 'phpinfo();' or check your php.ini for 'disable_functions' setting to see if 'ini_get' is listed as disabled.
    Affected if ini_get function is disabled in PHP configuration
  3. Examine include/common.php for register_globals vulnerability
    Open include/common.php and look for code that attempts to use ini_get to detect register_globals, and review whether it properly handles the case when ini_get returns false or is disabled.
    Affected if The code fails to properly handle disabled ini_get and registers global variables based on user input
  4. Examine search.php for unsanitized search_id parameter
    Open search.php and locate the handling of the 'search_id' parameter to verify if it is used in SQL queries without proper validation or sanitization.
    Affected if search_id parameter is used directly in SQL queries without validation

Your environment is affected if you are running PunBB version 1.2.14 or earlier, your PHP has ini_get disabled, and the vulnerable code paths in include/common.php and search.php exist unpatched.

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 1.2.14
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to a patched version of PunBB or apply the vendor patch that properly handles disabled ini_get and validates/sanitizes the search_id parameter to prevent SQL injection.

Fix this in Punbb Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,088.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2007-2234 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