Joomla\!Application · Joomla
CVE-2011-4912
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 · uneditedJoomla! com_mailto 1.5.x through 1.5.13 has an automated mail timeout bypass.
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 confidenceThe com_mailto component in Joomla! 1.5.x through 1.5.13 contains a vulnerability allowing automated mail timeout bypass, likely enabling attackers to circumvent rate-limiting or throttling mechanisms designed to prevent automated/spam email sending.
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
>= 1.5.0, <= 1.5.13CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/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 Joomla installation versionLocate the VERSION.php file in the Joomla root directory (e.g., /libraries/joomla/version.php) or check the database #__options table for the version entry. Alternatively, access the administrator About page at /administrator/index.php?option=aboutAffected if The installed version is between 1.5.0 and 1.5.13 inclusive (displayed as 1.5.x in the 1.5.0-1.5.13 range)
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Confirm com_mailto component is presentCheck if the com_mailto component directory exists at /components/com_mailto/ in the Joomla installation root. Also verify the component entry exists in the database #__components table where component='com_mailto'Affected if The com_mailto component directory exists and is registered in the Joomla component database
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Check mail functionality configurationReview the Global Configuration mail settings in Joomla admin (Site > Global Configuration > Server > Mail Settings). Verify if mail sending is enabled and note the mailer type being usedAffected if Mail is enabled and the com_mailto component can be used to send emails from the site
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Verify rate-limiting is in useInspect any custom rate-limiting mechanisms in place (could be in .htaccess, firewall rules, or third-party security extensions). The vulnerability allows bypassing such controls, so the presence of rate-limiting makes exploitation relevantAffected if Rate-limiting or throttling controls exist that could be circumvented via the mailto component vulnerability
You are affected if Joomla 1.5.x version 1.5.0 through 1.5.13 is installed AND the com_mailto component is present and functional, particularly if rate-limiting protections are in place that could be bypassed.
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 dataUpgrade from Joomla 1.5.x to a supported version (Joomla 3.x or later), as Joomla 1.5 reached end-of-life in 2012 and no longer receives security updates.
Fix this in Joomla\!
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation40.0 h
- Testing16.0 h
- Review / QA8.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $20,224.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2011-4912 — 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-2011-4912 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