CVE-2015-8975
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 · uneditedCross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the error handler in MyBB (aka MyBulletinBoard) before 1.6.18 and 1.8.x before 1.8.6 and MyBB Merge System before 1.8.6 might allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
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 confidenceCross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the error handler of MyBB (MyBulletinBoard) allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors in error message output before versions 1.6.18 and 1.8.6.
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= 1.8.5<= 1.6.17= 1.8.0= 1.8.1= 1.8.2= 1.8.3= 1.8.4= 1.8.5CVSS 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
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/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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Locate installed MyBB versionAccess the MyBB admin control panel and navigate to the Dashboard or Home section, which typically displays the current software version. Alternatively, check for a version file in the MyBB installation directory.Affected if The displayed version is 1.6.17 or lower, or any version from 1.8.0 through 1.8.5, or 1.8.5 for the MyBB Merge System.
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Confirm MyBB core productVerify that the installation is the main MyBB forum software rather than a third-party plugin or theme. The vulnerability exists in the MyBB core error handler, not in add-ons.Affected if The product is MyBB core and the version falls within the affected ranges.
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Identify error handler usageThe MyBB error handler is a core component that processes and displays error messages throughout the software. It is active by default in any standard MyBB installation.Affected if The error handler is enabled and processing user-supplied input that could trigger error conditions.
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Compare against affected version listCross-reference your installed version number with the known vulnerable versions: MyBB <= 1.6.17, MyBB 1.8.0-1.8.5, or MyBB Merge System 1.8.5.Affected if Your installed version matches any of these vulnerable versions.
You are affected if your MyBB installation runs version 1.6.17 or lower, or any version from 1.8.0 to 1.8.5, and the error handler is processing unsanitized error output.
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 MyBB to version 1.6.18 or 1.8.6 or later, which contains the patched error handler that properly sanitizes output.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing3.0 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 $1,904.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-8975 — 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-2015-8975 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
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