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Joomla\!Application · Joomla

CVE-2010-1433

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-06-21
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 1.5.15 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
Joomla! Core is prone to a vulnerability that lets attackers upload arbitrary files because the application fails to properly verify user-supplied input. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability to upload arbitrary code and run it in the context of the webserver process. This may facilitate unauthorized access or privilege escalation; other attacks are also possible. Joomla! Core versions 1.5.x ranging from 1.5.0 and up to and including 1.5.15 are vulnerable.

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

Joomla! Core 1.5.x versions 1.5.0-1.5.15 contain an arbitrary file upload vulnerability due to insufficient validation of user-supplied input. Attackers can upload malicious code and execute it within the webserver process context, enabling complete system compromise.

MitigationUpgrade Joomla! to version 1.5.16 or later (or migrate to a supported Joomla! 3.x/4.x version), and implement strict file type validation with allowlist controls for any remaining upload functionality.

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
Joomla\!Application
Affected:>= 1.5.0, <= 1.5.15

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
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Confirm Joomla installation and locate version file
    Check for the presence of /configuration.php or /administrator/manifests/files/joomla.xml. In configuration.php, look for the variable $version. In joomla.xml, check the <version> tag.
    Affected if The version listed is between 1.5.0 and 1.5.15 inclusive
  2. Access Joomla administrator backend version display
    Log into the Joomla admin panel at /administrator/ and navigate to Help -> System Info or Help -> About Joomla. The version number is displayed on this page.
    Affected if The displayed version is 1.5.15 or earlier (1.5.0-1.5.15)
  3. Verify media manager component is accessible
    Navigate to the media manager in the Joomla admin panel: Content -> Media Manager (or /administrator/index.php?option=com_media). Check if the component loads and file upload interface is present.
    Affected if The media manager component loads and allows access to the file upload interface in versions 1.5.0-1.5.15
  4. Check for presence of uploaded suspicious files
    Examine the /images/ directory (or custom media directories configured in media manager settings) for unfamiliar PHP files, executable scripts, or files with double extensions (e.g., image.php.jpg). Use file system search or FTP access to list directory contents.
    Affected if Unexpected PHP files or suspicious scripts exist in media directories and the Joomla version is 1.5.0-1.5.15

A system is affected if it runs Joomla! version 1.5.0 through 1.5.15 and has the media manager component accessible, allowing unauthenticated or authenticated users to upload files without proper validation.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 1.5.15
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Joomla! to version 1.5.16 or later (or migrate to a supported Joomla! 3.x/4.x version), and implement strict file type validation with allowlist controls for any remaining upload functionality.

Recommended fix High confidence

Joomla! 1.5.16 or later (preferably the final 1.5.x stable release)

  1. Backup the entire Joomla! installation including database and files
  2. Download Joomla! 1.5.16 or the latest 1.5.x stable release from the official Joomla! archives or repository
  3. Extract the upgrade package to a temporary location
  4. Replace the core Joomla! files on the server with the files from the upgrade package, preserving configuration files and custom assets
  5. Verify the upgrade was successful by accessing the administrator panel
  6. Check that the site front-end loads correctly and functionality is intact
Caveat Joomla! 1.5.x is end-of-life; consider migrating to Joomla 3.x or later for long-term support

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Joomla\! Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing16.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
40.0 hours of engineering $6,880
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $11,008.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2010-1433 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