CVE-2020-22612
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 · uneditedInstaller RCE on settings file write in MyBB before 1.8.22.
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 confidenceMyBB before version 1.8.22 contains a remote code execution vulnerability in the installer component. The vulnerability allows authenticated attackers to write arbitrary content to settings files, which can then be executed 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< 1.8.22CVSS 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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Check installed MyBB versionLocate and read the version file in your MyBB installation (typically in inc/ or a version.php file) and note the version numberAffected if The installed version is before 1.8.22 (e.g., 1.8.21, 1.8.20, etc.)
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Verify installer directory presenceCheck if the installer directory (usually /install/ or /install) exists in your MyBB web rootAffected if The installer directory still exists on the server
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Confirm installer accessibilityAttempt to access the installer script directly via HTTP (e.g., visit yourforum.com/install/index.php)Affected if The installer is accessible and allows execution (not locked or removed)
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Inspect settings file for unauthorized modificationsReview the contents and modification timestamp of your MyBB settings configuration file (usually in inc/ or a config directory) for any unexpected or malicious entriesAffected if The settings file contains unexpected content, scripts, or was modified by an unauthorized process
Your environment is affected if you are running MyBB version 1.8.21 or earlier AND the installer directory is still present and accessible on the server.
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.
dbcve · scoped1.8.22
Upgrade MyBB to version 1.8.22 or later. If the installer directory exists on production systems, it should be removed immediately.
1.8.22
- 1. Backup your MyBB installation and database before proceeding
- 2. Download MyBB version 1.8.22 or later from the official MyBB website (mybb.com)
- 3. Extract the downloaded package
- 4. Upload the new files to your server, overwriting the existing installation
- 5. Navigate to your forum's admin control panel and run any required database upgrades
- 6. Verify the installation was successful by accessing the forum
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 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 $1,936.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-22612 — 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-2020-22612 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data