CVE-2015-7381
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 · uneditedMultiple PHP remote file inclusion vulnerabilities in install.php in Web Reference Database (aka refbase) through 0.9.6 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary PHP code via the (1) pathToMYSQL or (2) databaseStructureFile parameter, a different issue than CVE-2015-6008.
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 confidenceRemote file inclusion vulnerability in install.php of the Web Reference Database (refbase) versions up to 0.9.6. The pathToMYSQL and databaseStructureFile parameters are not properly validated, allowing attackers to include malicious remote files and execute arbitrary PHP code 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<= 0.9.6CVSS 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 install.php fileSearch the web root directory for the install.php file, typically found in the root or /includes/ directory of the refbase installationAffected if The file install.php exists in the web-accessible directory
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Identify refbase versionCheck the version information in the source code (such as in a version.php file, README, or the header of main PHP files) or by accessing any version information endpoint if availableAffected if The installed version is 0.9.6 or any version lower than 0.9.6
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Verify install.php is accessibleAttempt to access install.php via HTTP/HTTPS request to confirm it is not removed, renamed, or protected by web server configurationAffected if The install.php file responds to HTTP requests and is not disabled
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Check for user input handlingReview install.php source code to confirm the pathToMYSQL and databaseStructureFile parameters accept user-supplied values without proper validationAffected if The parameters are processed without sanitization and can accept external input
A user is affected if install.php exists, is web-accessible, and the refbase version is 0.9.6 or lower, allowing remote file inclusion via the pathToMYSQL or databaseStructureFile parameters.
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 dataRemove or disable the install.php file from production servers; if the application must be updated, apply vendor patches or implement strict input validation/sanitization on the vulnerable parameters to prevent file inclusion.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-7381 — 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-2015-7381 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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- 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