CVE-2015-4180
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 · uneditedDirectory traversal vulnerability in get_file.php in phpMyBackupPro 2.1 through 2.4 allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files via a .. (dot dot) in the view parameter. NOTE: the provenance of this information is unknown; the details are obtained solely from third party information. NOTE: this vulnerability exists due to an incomplete fix to CVE-2009-4050.
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 confidenceDirectory traversal vulnerability in phpMyBackupPro's get_file.php allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files by using '..' sequences in the view parameter. The vulnerability exists because input is not properly sanitized, allowing path traversal outside the intended backup directory. This is a known incomplete fix from a previous CVE (CVE-2009-4050).
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= 2.1= 2.2= 2.3= 2.4CVSS 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
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Locate phpMyBackupPro installationSearch web root directories for 'phpmybackuppro' folder, or look for files like get_file.php, index.php that contain 'phpMyBackupPro' brandingAffected if phpMyBackupPro is found on the system in any directory accessible by the web server
-
Determine installed versionCheck version.php, version.txt, or the main index.php for a version string; common locations: /phpmybackuppro/version.php or /phpmybackuppro/READMEAffected if The installed version is 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, or 2.4
-
Verify get_file.php existsLocate get_file.php within the phpMyBackupPro installation directoryAffected if get_file.php is present and accessible via the web server
-
Inspect view parameter sanitizationExamine the source code of get_file.php and look for input validation on the 'view' parameter; check if it properly sanitizes or rejects '../' sequences and uses realpath() to validate the final path stays within the backup directoryAffected if The code lacks proper path traversal protection (realpath() validation or input sanitization rejecting '../') for the view parameter
-
Test path traversal if authorizedSend an HTTP request to get_file.php?view=../../../../etc/passwd (or similar) and verify if the file contents are returnedAffected if The server returns contents of files outside the intended backup directory
-
Check web server access logsReview web server access logs for requests to get_file.php containing '../' in the view parameter
A system is affected if phpMyBackupPro versions 2.1-2.4 are installed with get_file.php accessible and lacking proper path traversal sanitization on the view parameter.
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 dataImplement strict input validation on the view parameter to reject path traversal sequences (../) and use realpath() to validate that accessed files remain within the intended backup directory. If a patched version is available, upgrade immediately.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 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 $2,272.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-4180 — 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-2015-4180 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