Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
S40 CMS 0.4.2 has a remote, unauthenticated file-read flaw. An attacker could use the page parameter to reach files outside the intended website directory, potentially exposing sensitive configuration or system files. The source bundle does not name a vendor patch.
Executive priority
Treat confirmed exposed instances as urgent legacy risk. The issue can disclose sensitive files without authentication, public exploit material exists, and no patch is identified in the supplied evidence. Replacement or isolation is likely the most practical business decision.
Technical view
CVE-2011-10009 is a CWE-22 path traversal in S40 CMS 0.4.2 index.php handling of the p parameter. The bundle reports improper sanitization, traversal outside the web root, and null-byte bypass of extension checks. CVSS v4.0 is 8.7, driven by network access, no privileges, no user interaction, and high confidentiality impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to legacy internet-facing S40 CMS 0.4.2 installations. The affected version is specific, and the archived product source suggests an old CMS. Organizations should prioritize asset discovery before assuming broad exposure.
Exploitation context
Public exploit references are listed, including Exploit-DB and a Metasploit scanner module. KEV is false in the source bundle, so there is no provided evidence of confirmed active exploitation. Public exploit availability still lowers attacker effort for exposed legacy systems.
Researcher notes
Evidence supports S40 CMS 0.4.2 only. The CVE was published in 2025 for an older issue, with references dating to 2011-era exploit material. The bundle does not establish active exploitation, affected forks, maintained versions, or a vendor-supported fix.
Mitigation direction
- Identify and remove internet exposure for S40 CMS 0.4.2 instances.
- Check vendor or maintainer guidance for update, replacement, or retirement options.
- Restrict access with authentication, VPN, or allowlisting until remediated.
- Review web server permissions to limit readable sensitive files.
- Monitor logs for abnormal p parameter requests and file access errors.
Validation and detection
- Inventory web assets for S40 CMS and confirm exact version 0.4.2.
- Inspect index.php handling of the p parameter for unsafe file inclusion.
- Review access logs for traversal-like p parameter activity.
- Check whether sensitive files were accessed by the web server account.
- Confirm compensating controls block unauthenticated access to affected routes.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-22: File access and web shell behavior lookup
File traversal and upload weaknesses can lead teams to review file, web shell, execution, and collection telemetry. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupFile access behavior lookup
The CVE wording references file access or upload behavior, so file telemetry and web shell review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2011-10009 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 8.7 (4.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
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.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N——Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 4.0 score
8.7HighVector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/master/modules/auxiliary/scanner/http/s40_traversal.rbCVE reference · exploit
- https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/17129CVE reference · exploit
- https://web.archive.org/web/20110613222630/http://y-osirys.com/security/exploits/id27CVE reference · technical-description, exploit
- https://web.archive.org/web/20120531114058/http://s40.biz/CVE reference · product
- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/s40-cms-path-traversalCVE reference · third-party-advisory
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.