CVE-2011-3801
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 · uneditedSimpleTest 1.0.1 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 test/visual_test.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 confidenceSimpleTest 1.0.1 contains test/visual_test.php and other test files that, when accessed directly, trigger PHP error messages revealing the full server installation path. This information disclosure aids attackers in reconnaissance by exposing absolute filesystem paths for further exploitation.
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= 1.0.1CVSS 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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Locate SimpleTest installationSearch for simpletest or SimpleTest directories in your web root and document root. Check composer.json, package files, or version files for 'simpletest' version 1.0.1.Affected if SimpleTest version 1.0.1 is present in the environment.
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Identify test directory locationFind the test/ directory under the simpletest installation. Common paths include /simpletest/test/ or /vendor/simpletest/test/ if installed via composer.Affected if A test/ directory exists within the SimpleTest installation.
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Check web accessibility of test filesAttempt to access test/visual_test.php via HTTP request (e.g., curl or browser to http://yourhost/simpletest/test/visual_test.php). Also check for other .php files in the test/ directory.Affected if The test directory or test PHP files are accessible via the web server.
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Verify path disclosure behaviorRequest the test URL and observe any PHP error messages, warnings, or stack traces that reveal absolute filesystem paths (e.g., /var/www/html/, C:\inetpub\, etc.).Affected if PHP errors or warnings display full server paths when test files are accessed.
If SimpleTest 1.0.1 is installed with its test/ directory web-accessible and accessing test/visual_test.php or other test files exposes server filesystem paths, the environment is affected by CVE-2011-3801.
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 dataRemove all SimpleTest test files and directories (particularly test/ and any .php files under it) from production environments, or restrict access via web server configuration.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 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 $1,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2011-3801 — 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-2011-3801 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