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TextpatternApplication

CVE-2011-3807

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2011-09-24
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
59/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
Textpattern 4.2.0 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 lib/txplib_db.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 confidence

Textpattern 4.2.0 contains an information disclosure vulnerability where direct requests to certain PHP files (such as lib/txplib_db.php) reveal the full installation path in error messages. This path disclosure can aid attackers in reconnaissance and planning further attacks against the system.

MitigationRestrict direct web access to vulnerable PHP files using .htaccess rules or relocate them outside the web root, and ensure proper error handling does not expose system paths. Upgrading to a patched Textpattern version is recommended if available.

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
TextpatternApplication
Affected:= 4.2.0

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
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 checks

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

  1. Confirm Textpattern installation version
    Locate the Textpattern version file (typically includes/version.php or check the admin dashboard About page). Open the version file or log into the admin panel to view the installed version number.
    Affected if Installed version is exactly 4.2.0
  2. Test direct access to lib/txplib_db.php
    Using a web browser or curl command, make an HTTP GET request directly to http://yourdomain.com/textpattern/lib/txplib_db.php (adjust path if Textpattern is installed in a subdirectory). Observe the response and any error messages returned.
    Affected if The page loads or returns an error that displays the full server file system path to the Textpattern installation directory
  3. Check for path disclosure in error output
    Examine the HTTP response from step 2. Look for any PHP error messages, warnings, or fatal error messages that may contain absolute paths such as '/home/user/public_html/textpattern/...'
    Affected if Error messages or warning output contains the complete absolute file system path to the Textpattern installation folder
  4. Verify .htaccess access controls
    Check if .htaccess files exist in the lib/ directory and other vulnerable directories. Inspect the contents to see if they contain rules blocking direct PHP access (like 'deny from all' or similar directives).
    Affected if No .htaccess file exists in the lib/ directory, or the existing .htaccess does not restrict direct access to PHP files
  5. Test other vulnerable PHP files
    Attempt direct HTTP requests to other PHP files in the lib/ directory (such as lib/txplib_misc.php or similar) to see if they also expose path information when accessed directly without proper context.
    Affected if Multiple PHP files in the lib/ directory reveal the installation path when accessed directly via HTTP

If Textpattern 4.2.0 is installed and direct HTTP requests to files like lib/txplib_db.php produce error messages showing the full server file system path, the environment is affected by this path disclosure vulnerability.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Restrict direct web access to vulnerable PHP files using .htaccess rules or relocate them outside the web root, and ensure proper error handling does not expose system paths. Upgrading to a patched Textpattern version is recommended if available.

Fix this in Textpattern Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
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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-2011-3807 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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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