CVE-2023-53922
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 · uneditedTinyWebGallery v2.5 contains a remote code execution vulnerability in the admin upload functionality that allows unauthenticated attackers to upload malicious PHP files. Attackers can upload .phar files with embedded system commands to execute arbitrary code on the server by accessing the uploaded file's URL.
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 confidenceTinyWebGallery v2.5 has an unauthenticated file upload vulnerability in its admin upload functionality that allows remote attackers to upload .phar files containing malicious PHP code. Once uploaded, the files are accessible via web URL, enabling arbitrary command execution on the server through PHP code embedded in the phar archive.
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= 2.5CVSS 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
- 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 TinyWebGallery installationCheck if the TinyWebGallery application files exist in your web server's document root or web-accessible directory. Look for the typical TinyWebGallery folder structure and index.php.Affected if TinyWebGallery is installed and accessible via web browser
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Identify installed versionLocate the version information file or check the main index.php file for a version string. Common locations include a version.php file or the administration area footer.Affected if The installed version is exactly 2.5 (this specific version is affected)
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Verify admin upload endpoint exposureAttempt to access the admin upload functionality via common paths such as /admin/upload.php, /twg_admin/upload.php, or similar admin-facing upload scripts without providing authentication credentials.Affected if The upload endpoint responds without requiring login credentials (unauthenticated access is possible)
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Confirm uploads directory is web-accessibleCheck the configuration or source code to determine where uploaded files are stored. Verify if the upload directory is within the web root and accessible via direct URL.Affected if Uploaded files are stored in a web-accessible directory and can be reached via direct HTTP requests
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Check PHP execution settings in upload directoryExamine the web server configuration (Apache .htaccess, nginx config, or equivalent) for the upload directory. Verify if PHP execution is allowed or blocked for files in that location.Affected if PHP execution is permitted in the upload directory, allowing uploaded .phar files to be executed when accessed via URL
A user is affected if they run TinyWebGallery v2.5 with unauthenticated admin upload access, storing uploads in a web-accessible directory where PHP scripts can execute.
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 dataRestrict the upload functionality to authenticated administrators only, implement strict allowlist-based file type validation to reject .phar and other executable extensions, and store uploaded files outside the web root or configure the web server to disable PHP execution in the upload directory.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 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 $4,224.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-53922 — 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-2023-53922 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