Simple Machines ForumApplication · Simple Machines

CVE-2007-3308

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v2.0 Published 2007-06-21
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
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) 1.1.2 uses a concatenation method with insufficient randomization when creating a WAV file CAPTCHA, which allows remote attackers to pass the CAPTCHA test via an automated brute-force attack.

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 1.1.2 generates WAV file CAPTCHAs using a concatenation method that lacks sufficient randomization. Attackers can decode or brute-force the predictable audio patterns to bypass the CAPTCHA protection, enabling automated account creation or other protected actions.

MitigationUpgrade SMF to a patched version that implements proper cryptographic randomization in CAPTCHA generation, or disable the WAV CAPTCHA and use an alternative verification method with additional rate limiting controls.

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:= 1.1.2

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. Identify installed SMF version
    Check the forum footer for the version number, or look for a version.php file in the main SMF directory that contains the $smfVersion variable
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 1.1.2
  2. Access SMF admin CAPTCHA settings
    Log into the admin panel and navigate to Security and Moderation settings, or examine the database table smf_settings for captcha-related configuration entries
    Affected if WAV CAPTCHA is enabled as the verification method
  3. Verify CAPTCHA audio generation method
    Generate a test CAPTCHA and examine the generated WAV file, or inspect the CAPTCHA generation code in the SMF directory (typically in Sources/Captcha.php or similar)
    Affected if The code uses a simple concatenation method for audio CAPTCHA generation without cryptographic randomization
  4. Check CAPTCHA configuration in database
    Query the smf_settings table for fields like 'captcha_enabled', 'captcha_type', or 'use_wav_captcha' to determine the active CAPTCHA configuration
    Affected if The setting value indicates WAV-based CAPTCHA is active

A user is affected if they are running exactly SMF 1.1.2 with WAV CAPTCHA enabled, allowing attackers to bypass verification through analysis of predictable audio patterns.

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

Upgrade SMF to a patched version that implements proper cryptographic randomization in CAPTCHA generation, or disable the WAV CAPTCHA and use an alternative verification method with additional rate limiting controls.

Fix this in Simple Machines Forum Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2007-3308 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

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-2007-3308 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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