CVE-2009-4098
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 · uneditedUnrestricted file upload vulnerability in banner-edit.php in OpenX adserver 2.8.1 and earlier allows remote authenticated users with banner / file upload permissions to execute arbitrary code by uploading a file with an executable extension, then accessing it via a direct request to the file in an images directory.
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 confidenceOpenX adserver 2.8.1 and earlier contains an unrestricted file upload vulnerability in banner-edit.php. Authenticated users with banner or file upload permissions can upload files with executable extensions (such as .php) to an images directory, then directly request the uploaded file to achieve arbitrary code execution on the server.
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<= 2.8.1= 2.4= 2.6.1= 2.6.3= 2.8CVSS 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
- M
- Authentication
- Single
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:M/Au:S/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify OpenX installation and versionCheck for OpenX installation directories (commonly /openx/, /www/, or similar under web root). Look for version.php or a version file in the OpenX root directory and read its contents to determine the installed version.Affected if Installed version is 2.8.1, 2.8, 2.6.3, 2.6.1, or 2.4 (or any version <= 2.8.1)
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Locate banner-edit.phpSearch for the file banner-edit.php within the OpenX installation directory structure, typically under www/admin/banner-edit.php or similar admin paths.Affected if The file banner-edit.php exists in the OpenX installation
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Verify images directory is writableCheck file system permissions on the images or banners upload directory (usually www/images/ or var/uploads/) to confirm it is writable by the web server user.Affected if The upload directory is writable by the web server
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Check for script execution in upload directoriesExamine the images/upload directory for .htaccess files or web server configuration that allow PHP or script execution. Also check if the web server is configured to execute scripts in these directories.Affected if Script execution is permitted in the upload directory (no restrictions in .htaccess or server config)
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Inspect upload directory for suspicious filesList all files in the images or upload directories and identify any with executable extensions (.php, .phtml, .php3, .php4, .php5, .phar) that were not intentionally uploaded by administrators.Affected if Executable files (.php, etc.) exist in the upload directory and are accessible via web request
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Review user permissions configurationCheck OpenX user management interface or database to see which users have banner or file upload permissions enabled.Affected if Any user account has banner or file upload permissions granted
The environment is affected if OpenX version 2.8.1 or earlier is installed, the banner-edit.php file exists, and the images directory is both writable by the web server and permits script execution, allowing authenticated users with upload permissions to execute arbitrary code.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataImplement strict server-side file type validation (checking magic bytes/content-type, not just extensions), rename uploaded files to non-executable names, and disable script execution in the upload directory via web server configuration (e.g., .htaccess rules or equivalent).
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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 locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2009-4098 — 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 sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2009-4098 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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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.
- 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