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Simple Machines ForumApplication · Simplemachines

CVE-2025-67163

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-12-18
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

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
A stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Simple Machines Forum v2.1.6 allows attackers to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML via injecting a crafted payload into the Forum Name parameter.

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

Stored XSS vulnerability in Simple Machines Forum v2.1.6 allows attackers to inject malicious JavaScript or HTML into the Forum Name parameter. The payload persists in the database and executes when users view the affected forum, potentially compromising session cookies or performing actions on behalf of authenticated users.

MitigationApply vendor patch or upgrade to a fixed version; implement proper input validation and output encoding for the Forum Name parameter to prevent script injection.

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
Simple Machines ForumApplication
Affected:= 2.1.6

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
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/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 checks

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

  1. Identify your Simple Machines Forum version
    Access the admin panel or check the version file (typically version.php or similar in the installation root). Look for the version number displayed in the admin dashboard under Forum or Maintenance sections.
    Affected if Your installed version is exactly 2.1.6 (the affected version).
  2. Examine stored Forum Names for malicious content
    Access the admin panel, navigate to the Forum or Boards management section where Forum Names are configured. Review each forum's name for unusual characters, HTML tags, or script elements.
    Affected if Any Forum Name contains HTML tags such as <script>, <img>, <iframe>, or JavaScript event handlers like onload, onerror.
  3. Query the database for XSS payloads in forum-related fields
    If you have database access, examine tables related to forums (such as smf_boards or similar). Look for Forum Name fields containing patterns like <script, javascript:, onload=, or encoded equivalents.
    Affected if The database contains Forum Name values with script injection patterns or encoded HTML.
  4. Verify if affected forums are accessible to users
    Navigate to the forum index or board listing as a regular user. Visit each forum to see if the Forum Name renders and triggers any behavior.
    Affected if When viewing forums, you observe unexpected popups, alerts, or the page source reveals unescaped HTML in the Forum Name.

You are affected if you are running Simple Machines Forum version 2.1.6 AND have a Forum Name that contains unsanitized HTML or JavaScript code, which would execute when users view the forum.

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

Apply vendor patch or upgrade to a fixed version; implement proper input validation and output encoding for the Forum Name parameter to prevent script injection.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Simple Machines Forum 2.1.7 or later (latest 2.1.x stable release)

  1. 1. Backup your Simple Machines Forum database and files before making any changes.
  2. 2. Download the latest stable version of Simple Machines Forum (2.1.x series) from the official source at www.simplemachines.org.
  3. 3. Extract the upgrade package to a temporary directory on your server.
  4. 4. Disable your forum through the forum administration panel or by renaming the index.php file temporarily.
  5. 5. Upload the new files, overwriting the existing installation while preserving your configuration and attachments.
  6. 6. Run the upgrade.php script by accessing it via your browser (e.g., yourdomain.com/upgrade.php).
  7. 7. Follow the on-screen upgrade instructions to complete the process.
  8. 8. Re-enable your forum and verify the Forum Name field now properly sanitizes input.
Caveat Standard minor version upgrade - review custom themes and mods for compatibility with the new version

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

Fix this in Simple Machines Forum Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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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-2025-67163 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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