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Php Formmail GeneratorFramework / library · Jqueryform

CVE-2016-9483

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-07-13
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
The PHP form code generated by PHP FormMail Generator deserializes untrusted input as part of the phpfmg_filman_download() function. A remote unauthenticated attacker may be able to use this vulnerability to inject PHP code, or along with CVE-2016-9484 to perform local file inclusion attacks and obtain files from the server.

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 confidence

PHP FormMail Generator produces PHP form code containing an unsafe deserialization vulnerability in the phpfmg_filman_download() function. Untrusted user input is deserialized without proper validation, allowing remote unauthenticated attackers to inject and execute arbitrary PHP code on the server.

MitigationImmediately disable or remove the affected PHP FormMail Generator installations. If continued use is required, migrate to a secure form handling solution with proper input validation and avoid PHP deserialization of user-supplied data.

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
Php Formmail GeneratorFramework / library
Affected:all versions

CVSS 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:3.0/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Locate PHP FormMail Generator installation
    Search for files containing 'phpfmg' in filename or directory structure. Common locations include /phpformmail, /formmail, or /generator directories under web root.
    Affected if The software is present on the server in any version
  2. Identify the vulnerable function
    Search for the function 'phpfmg_filman_download' within PHP files in the installation. Use grep or similar: grep -r 'phpfmg_filman_download' .
    Affected if The phpfmg_filman_download function exists in the codebase (present in all versions)
  3. Verify file manager feature is enabled
    Check configuration files or the main PHP FormMail Generator script for file upload/download functionality. Look for variables controlling fileman or file download features.
    Affected if File manager or file download functionality is enabled in the configuration
  4. Inspect the deserialization code
    Examine the phpfmg_filman_download function code. Look for unserialize() calls handling user input, typically from $_GET, $_POST, or $_REQUEST parameters.
    Affected if The function uses unserialize() on user-supplied input without validation
  5. Check external exposure
    Verify the affected script is accessible via web request. The vulnerable function typically handles download requests to the form generator processing script.
    Affected if The PHP FormMail Generator script is accessible from the network without authentication

If PHP FormMail Generator is installed and the file download feature is enabled, the server is affected by this unsafe deserialization vulnerability allowing remote code execution.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Immediately disable or remove the affected PHP FormMail Generator installations. If continued use is required, migrate to a secure form handling solution with proper input validation and avoid PHP deserialization of user-supplied data.

Recommended fix High confidence
  1. 1. Discontinue use of PHP FormMail Generator immediately as it is no longer maintained and has no security patches available.
  2. 2. Replace the PHP FormMail Generator with a currently supported form processing solution that receives regular security updates.
  3. 3. If immediate replacement is not possible, remove the affected form scripts from public-facing web servers.
  4. 4. Audit the web server for any compromise using the deserialization vulnerability (look for suspicious PHP files, backdoors, or unauthorized access).
Caveat This is an end-of-life product with no security support; replacement is the only safe option

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Php Formmail Generator Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
19.0 hours of engineering $3,380
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-9483 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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