CVE-2011-3993
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 · uneditedSKYARC MTCMS before 5.252, and the MultiFileUploader 0.44 and earlier, DuplicateEntry 1.2 and earlier, MailPack 1.741 and earlier, and AutoTagging 0.08 and earlier plugins for Movable Type, uses weak permissions, which allows remote authenticated users to modify files and settings via unspecified vectors.
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 · moderate confidenceMultiple Movable Type plugins (MultiFileUploader, DuplicateEntry, MailPack, AutoTagging) and SKYARC MTCMS use weak file and configuration permissions, allowing any authenticated user to modify system files and settings beyond their intended access level.
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<= 0.08<= 1.2<= 1.741<= 5.251= 5.2= 5.21= 5.22= 5.23= 5.24= 5.25= 5.251<= 0.44CVSS 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
- Single
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:N/I:P/A:P
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 if Movable Type is installedLocate the Movable Type installation directory on the system. Common locations include web server document roots or dedicated application directories. Look for mt-config.cgi or mt.php configuration files.Affected if Movable Type is not present - the vulnerability only affects Movable Type environments.
-
Check for affected plugin installationsExamine the plugins directory within the Movable Type installation for the following plugin folders: AutoTagging, DuplicateEntry, MailPack, MultiFileUploader, or MTCMS. Each plugin typically has a version file or metadata file indicating its version.Affected if Any of these five plugins are present in the Movable Type installation.
-
Verify installed plugin versionsRead the version information from each present plugin. This is typically found in a version file, plugin metadata file (plugin.yaml, plugin.pl), or the main plugin PHP/Perl script. Compare the version number against the affected ranges: AutoTagging <= 0.08, DuplicateEntry <= 1.2, MailPack <= 1.741, MultiFileUploader <= 0.44.Affected if The installed version of any plugin falls within or below the affected version ranges.
-
Check Movable Type core version for MTCMSIf MTCMS (MTCMS plugin or theme) is present, check its version by examining the MTCMS version file or configuration. Compare against affected versions: <= 5.251, = 5.2, = 5.21, = 5.22, = 5.23, = 5.24, = 5.25, = 5.251.Affected if The MTCMS version matches any of the affected version numbers.
-
Inspect file and directory permissionsUse file system commands (ls -la or icacls on Windows) to examine permissions on key Movable Type directories: the main MT directory, plugins subdirectory, and configuration files. Verify that configuration files (mt-config.cgi) and plugin directories do not have overly permissive settings such as world-writable or world-readable permissions.Affected if Configuration files or plugin directories have weak permissions (such as 777 or world-writable) that allow modification by any authenticated user.
A user is affected if Movable Type is running with any of the specified plugins or MTCMS at versions within the affected ranges AND weak file permissions exist on the installation.
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 dataReview and strengthen file permissions on the Movable Type installation, update affected plugins to patched versions, and implement role-based access controls to restrict authenticated user capabilities.
- 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-2011-3993 — 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-2011-3993 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