CVE-2016-20052
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 · uneditedSnews CMS 1.7 contains an unrestricted file upload vulnerability that allows unauthenticated attackers to upload arbitrary files including PHP executables to the snews_files directory. Attackers can upload malicious PHP files through the multipart form-data upload endpoint and execute them by accessing the uploaded file path to achieve remote code execution.
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 confidenceSnews CMS 1.7 has an unrestricted file upload vulnerability allowing unauthenticated attackers to upload arbitrary files, including malicious PHP executables, to the snews_files directory via a multipart form-data endpoint. Attackers can then access and execute the uploaded PHP files to achieve remote code execution.
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<= 1.7CVSS 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
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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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Confirm Snews CMS installationInspect web server document root for snews.php, index.php, or .htaccess files containing 'snews' references. Check HTTP response headers or page source for 'Snews' branding.Affected if Snews CMS files are present in the web root
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Identify Snews CMS versionOpen snews.php or includes/configuration.php in a text editor and look for a version variable (e.g., $version, 'snewsVersion'). Check README or CHANGELOG files if present.Affected if Version is 1.7 or lower, or version cannot be determined (treat as affected)
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Verify snews_files directory existsCheck for the existence of a 'snews_files' folder in the web root. Make an HTTP request to snews_files/ to confirm it is web-accessible.Affected if snews_files directory exists and is accessible via HTTP
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Check if upload endpoint allows unauthenticated accessSend a multipart/form-data POST request to the upload handler (typically index.php?upload=1 or similar) without providing login credentials. Observe if the upload is accepted.Affected if Upload endpoint accepts files without authentication
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Verify PHP execution is enabled in upload directoryCreate a test file with content '<?php phpinfo(); ?>' and attempt to upload it to snews_files. Then access the file via browser to see if PHP code executes.Affected if PHP files in snews_files are executed rather than downloaded
If Snews CMS version 1.7 or lower is confirmed AND the upload endpoint is accessible without authentication AND PHP execution is enabled in snews_files, the system is vulnerable to remote code execution via this CVE.
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 server-side file type and extension validation, require authentication for upload endpoints, disable script execution in the upload directory via .htaccess or web server configuration, and store uploads outside the web root.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 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 $5,120.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-20052 — 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-2016-20052 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
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