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CVE Record

CVE-2006-3850: PHP remote file inclusion vulnerability in upgrader.php in Vanilla CMS 1.0.1 and earlier, when /conf/old_se...

PHP remote file inclusion vulnerability in upgrader.php in Vanilla CMS 1.0.1 and earlier, when /conf/old_settings.php exists, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary PHP code via a URL in the RootDirectory parameter. NOTE: this issue has been disputed by a third party who states that the RootDirectory parameter is initialized before being used, for version 1.0. CVE analysis concurs with the dispute, but it is unclear whether older versions are affected

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's Takeunknown

Analyst readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

This is an old, disputed Vanilla CMS vulnerability report. The original claim was that an upgrade script could let a remote attacker run PHP code, but later analysis agreed that version 1.0 appears protected. It remains unclear whether older versions are affected.

Executive priority

Treat this as a legacy-technology exposure review, not a confirmed emergency. Prioritize only if Vanilla CMS is still deployed or internet-facing in your environment.

Technical view

The report concerns upgrader.php in Vanilla CMS 1.0.1 and earlier when /conf/old_settings.php exists. The claimed issue is remote file inclusion through the RootDirectory parameter. CVE notes the issue is disputed because RootDirectory is initialized before use in version 1.0; impact on older versions is unclear.

Likely exposure

Exposure is limited to legacy Vanilla CMS installations matching the described upgrade-script condition. The provided affected-product metadata is incomplete, and the dispute means version-level exposure cannot be confirmed from these sources alone.

Exploitation context

The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation evidence. It contains historical public advisories and dispute threads from 2006, with CVE analysis concurring that at least version 1.0 may not be vulnerable.

Researcher notes

The key analytical point is the dispute: CVE says version 1.0 initializes RootDirectory before use, but older-version impact is unresolved. Avoid claiming confirmed exploitability without reviewing the exact source tree and deployment state.

Mitigation direction

  • Identify any Vanilla CMS deployments and record exact versions.
  • Check vendor or archival project guidance for confirmed fixes.
  • Restrict public access to upgrade scripts where operationally feasible.
  • Retire or replace legacy deployments if no maintained fix exists.

Validation and detection

  • Confirm whether upgrader.php is present and publicly reachable.
  • Check whether /conf/old_settings.php exists on the installation.
  • Review code to verify RootDirectory initialization before use.
  • Review web logs for suspicious upgrader.php requests.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
6

Public sources used

Based on public source material and reviewed before publication.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

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CVE-2006-3850 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Unknown
CVSS
Not scored
Known Exploited
No
Published
Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

0CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
9Source links

CVSS and timeline data

No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
n/an/an/aListed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.