CVE-2012-5385
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 · uneditedinstall/index.php in Craig Knudsen WebCalendar before 1.2.5 allows remote attackers to modify settings.php and possibly execute arbitrary code via vectors related to the user theme preference.
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 confidenceWebCalendar before 1.2.5 contains an arbitrary code execution vulnerability in install/index.php. Attackers can inject malicious code through the user theme preference parameter during installation, which gets written to settings.php, allowing modification of the configuration and potential remote code execution on the server.
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= 1.1.1= 1.1.2= 1.1.3= 1.1.4= 1.1.5= 1.1.6= 1.2= 1.2.0= 1.2.1= 1.2.2= 1.2.3CVSS 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
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/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.
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Locate WebCalendar installationSearch for WebCalendar files on the system. Common locations include web server document roots (e.g., /var/www/, /htdocs/, C:\inetpub\wwwroot\). Look for directories named 'webcalendar' or 'calendar' containing PHP files.Affected if WebCalendar is found on the system
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Determine installed versionCheck for a version file or inspect the main WebCalendar PHP files for a version constant. Alternatively, check the settings.php file for version indicators or the WebCalendar header/comment in the source files.Affected if The version number matches 1.0, 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3, 1.1.4, 1.1.5, 1.1.6, 1.2, 1.2.0, 1.2.1, 1.2.2, or 1.2.3
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Check if install directory existsLocate the install/ subdirectory within the WebCalendar installation path and verify if install/index.php is present and accessible.Affected if The install/ directory and install/index.php file exist and are accessible (the vulnerability only applies during installation, but a leftover install directory indicates incomplete hardening)
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Inspect settings.php for malicious codeOpen the settings.php file in the WebCalendar installation directory. Search for PHP code execution functions (such as eval, base64_decode, system, exec, shell_exec, passthru) within what should be theme preference values, or any suspicious encoded/encrypted strings in configuration fields.Affected if settings.php contains unexpected PHP code execution functions or suspicious encoded content in theme-related settings
The environment is affected if WebCalendar versions 1.0 through 1.2.3 are installed and the install directory remains accessible or settings.php contains injected malicious code in theme configuration.
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 WebCalendar to version 1.2.5 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict access to the install/ directory and verify that settings.php has not been tampered with.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 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 $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-5385 — 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-2012-5385 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