CVE-2013-4796
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 · uneditedReviewBoard 1.6.17 allows code execution by attaching PHP scripts to review request
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 confidenceReviewBoard 1.6.17 contains a vulnerability that allows authenticated users to attach and execute arbitrary PHP scripts via review request attachments, leading to 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= 1.6.17CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 installed ReviewBoard versionCheck the ReviewBoard version by logging into the admin interface and navigating to the About page, or by running 'rb-site --version' if you have CLI access. You can also check the installed package via pip (pip show ReviewBoard) or check the version.py file in the ReviewBoard installation directory.Affected if The installed version is exactly 1.6.17 (the only affected version per this CVE).
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Verify file attachment uploads are enabledLog in to ReviewBoard as an administrator and navigate to the Settings > General page. Look for the 'Enable file attachments' or 'Allow uploading attachments' setting. This can also be checked in the site's settings.py configuration file under ATTACHMENT_ENABLED or similar attachment-related settings.Affected if File attachments are enabled - the vulnerability allows authenticated users to attach arbitrary PHP scripts via review request attachments when this feature is active.
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Check if script execution is permitted in attachment directoriesReview the web server (Apache/Nginx) configuration and the attachment storage directory. Verify whether .htaccess or server config allows execution of PHP or script files in the directory where ReviewBoard stores attachments (typically the 'htdocs/media/uploaded' or 'attachments' directory).Affected if PHP or script execution is permitted in attachment directories - the vulnerability leads to RCE only if uploaded PHP files can be executed by the web server.
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Confirm authenticated user access existsReview the ReviewBoard user database and authentication settings. Check if there are any user accounts with the ability to create or edit review requests, which would grant them attachment upload privileges.Affected if There are authenticated users (non-admin or admin) who can create review requests and attach files - this is required for exploiting the flaw.
You are affected only if your installed ReviewBoard version is exactly 1.6.17 AND file attachments are enabled AND PHP/script execution is allowed in the attachment storage directories AND at least one authenticated user can upload attachments to review requests.
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 ReviewBoard to version 1.6.18 or later, or implement file type restrictions to prevent PHP file uploads and disable script execution in attachment directories.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 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 $3,408.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2013-4796 — 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-2013-4796 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