CVE-2009-5068
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 · uneditedThere is a file disclosure vulnerability in SMF (Simple Machines Forum) affecting versions through v2.0.3. On some configurations a SMF deployment is shared by several "co-admins" that are not trusted beyond the SMF deployment. This vulnerability allows them to read arbitrary files on the filesystem and therefore gain new privileges by reading the settings.php with the database passwords.
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 confidenceSMF v2.0.3 and earlier contains a file disclosure vulnerability allowing authenticated co-admin users to read arbitrary files on the filesystem via path traversal, enabling access to sensitive configuration files like settings.php containing database credentials.
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<= 2.0.3CVSS 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
- Privileges
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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.
-
Identify SMF installation and versionLocate the SMF installation directory and check the version. Typically found in the main index.php file or a Version.php file within the SMF directory. Look for a version string such as '2.0.3' or earlier.Affected if The installed SMF version is 2.0.3 or any earlier version.
-
Verify co-admin user access existsCheck the SMF database (typically in the settings table or membergroup definitions) for user accounts assigned the co-admin role (usually membergroup ID 2 or a custom group with co-admin permissions).Affected if There are user accounts with co-admin or equivalent elevated privileges in the SMF installation.
-
Confirm the path traversal parameter is accessibleThe vulnerability exists in an SMF component that accepts file path parameters. Identify if the SMF web interface is accessible and check if the vulnerable endpoint accepts user-supplied path input.Affected if The SMF web interface is accessible and accepts file path parameters without proper sanitization.
-
Inspect file permissions on settings.phpLocate the settings.php file within the SMF directory structure (typically in the same directory as index.php) and verify file system permissions. Check if the web server process has read access to this file.Affected if The settings.php file containing database credentials is readable by the web server user and the SMF version is 2.0.3 or earlier.
You are affected if SMF version 2.0.3 or earlier is installed, co-admin user accounts exist in the system, and sensitive configuration files are readable by the web server process.
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 dataUpgrade SMF to a patched version beyond v2.0.3, or apply vendor-provided patches for this vulnerability. If upgrade is not feasible, restrict co-admin access and ensure web server permissions prevent the SMF application user from accessing sensitive configuration files outside the web root.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 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 $5,120.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2009-5068 — 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-2009-5068 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
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.
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