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SmartyApplication

CVE-2008-4810

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v2.0 Published 2008-10-31
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
The _expand_quoted_text function in libs/Smarty_Compiler.class.php in Smarty 2.6.20 before r2797 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary PHP code via vectors related to templates and (1) a dollar-sign character, aka "php executed in templates;" and (2) a double quoted literal string, aka a "function injection security hole." NOTE: each vector affects slightly different SVN revisions.

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

Smarty 2.6.20 contains a template injection vulnerability in the _expand_quoted_text function within Smarty_Compiler.class.php. The function fails to properly sanitize template variables, allowing remote attackers to inject arbitrary PHP code through specially crafted template syntax using dollar-sign characters or double-quoted literal strings. This enables complete remote code execution on the affected server.

MitigationUpgrade to Smarty version 2.6.20 with SVN revision r2797 or later. Alternatively, audit all template files for unsafe variable usage and implement strict input validation on user-supplied values before passing them to templates.

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
SmartyApplication
Affected:= 1.0= 1.0a= 1.0b= 1.1.0= 1.2.0= 1.2.1= 1.2.2= 1.3.0= 1.3.1= 1.3.2= 1.4.0= 1.4.1

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. Locate Smarty installation
    Search for the Smarty_Compiler.class.php file on the system: find / -name 'Smarty_Compiler.class.php' 2>/dev/null, or check common paths like /usr/local/lib/php/Smarty/, vendor/smarty/smarty/, or within project vendor directories.
    Affected if The file is not found, meaning Smarty is not installed.
  2. Determine installed Smarty version
    Open Smarty_Compiler.class.php and look for a version definition near the top of the file, typically in a comment or defined constant. Alternatively, check the Smarty.class.php file for version information.
    Affected if The version is 1.4.1 or earlier (1.0, 1.0a, 1.0b, 1.1.0, 1.2.0, 1.2.1, 1.2.2, 1.3.0, 1.3.1, 1.3.2, 1.4.0, 1.4.1). Note: CVE description references version 2.6.20 but affected versions listed are 1.x series - verify which version line your installation matches.
  3. Verify vulnerable function exists
    Open Smarty_Compiler.class.php and search for the function definition: function _expand_quoted_text
    Affected if The function exists in the file, indicating the potentially vulnerable code is present.
  4. Check template compilation is enabled
    Check the Smarty configuration for $compile_check or $force_compile settings. In PHP code using Smarty, look for: $smarty->compile_check = true (default) or $smarty->force_compile = false. In Smarty config files, look for compile_check = true.
    Affected if Template compilation is enabled (compile_check is true or force_compile is true), which allows the vulnerable template parsing to occur.
  5. Identify user input flow to templates
    Audit application code that uses Smarty to see if user-supplied input (GET, POST, COOKIE, or database values) is directly assigned to template variables without sanitization. Look for patterns like: $smarty->assign($_GET['param']) or $smarty->assign('name', $user_input).
    Affected if User input is directly passed to Smarty template variables without validation, creating the attack surface for template injection.

You are affected if Smarty is installed with version 1.4.1 or earlier, the _expand_quoted_text function exists, template compilation is enabled, and user-controlled input flows directly into template variables.

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 to Smarty version 2.6.20 with SVN revision r2797 or later. Alternatively, audit all template files for unsafe variable usage and implement strict input validation on user-supplied values before passing them to templates.

Fix this in Smarty Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,760
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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-2008-4810 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