CVE-2011-3771
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 · uneditedphpBook 2.1.0 allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information via a direct request to a .php file, which reveals the installation path in an error message, as demonstrated by doc/update_smilies_1.50-1.60.php and certain other files.
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 confidencephpBook 2.1.0 contains multiple PHP scripts (such as doc/update_smilies_1.50-1.60.php) that, when accessed directly, cause the application to emit verbose error messages revealing the full server installation path. This path disclosure can aid attackers in reconnaissance and targeting further attacks.
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= 2.1.0CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- None
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N
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 phpBook installation and versionSearch the web root directory for phpBook files. Look for version identifiers in source files, README files, or any configuration files that may indicate the installed version.Affected if phpBook version 2.1.0 is present on the server
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Locate the vulnerable doc/ scriptsCheck for the presence of PHP scripts in the doc/ directory, specifically files like update_smilies_1.50-1.60.php or similar update scripts that may exist.Affected if The vulnerable PHP scripts in the doc/ directory exist and are accessible via HTTP
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Verify PHP display_errors configurationCheck the PHP configuration by reviewing php.ini, .htaccess files, or running phpinfo() to determine if display_errors is enabled.Affected if PHP display_errors is set to On, which allows error messages containing server paths to be displayed to users
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Test for path disclosureSend an HTTP request directly to one of the vulnerable scripts in the doc/ directory and inspect the response for verbose error messages that may contain the full server installation path.Affected if Accessing the vulnerable script directly produces error output revealing the server's filesystem path
The environment is affected if phpBook 2.1.0 is installed with the vulnerable doc/ scripts present and PHP display_errors is enabled, allowing the full server path to be disclosed in error messages.
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 dataDisable PHP display_errors in php.ini or .htaccess, and implement custom error handling that logs errors without exposing sensitive path information to users.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,744.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2011-3771 — 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-2011-3771 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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- 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