Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
Auxilium RateMyPet allowed unauthenticated visitors to upload files that could run as PHP on the website. If an affected installation is internet-facing, compromise could be immediate and severe. The sources do not identify a vendor patch or current supported release path.
Executive priority
Treat exposed instances as urgent remediation candidates. The business risk is full website or server takeover from a legacy application, with no vendor fix identified in the supplied evidence.
Technical view
The issue is CWE-434 in upload_banners.php: missing authentication and file-type validation allow remote upload of PHP into a web-accessible /banners/ directory. CVSS v4.0 is 9.3. Public exploit references exist, but the bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or confirmed active exploitation.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to legacy Auxilium RateMyPet deployments. Any reachable upload_banners.php endpoint or executable /banners/ directory should be treated as high risk until proven absent or contained.
Exploitation context
Public exploit material exists in Metasploit and Exploit-DB references. The supplied evidence does not confirm active exploitation in the wild, and KEV is false. No exploit steps are needed to understand the risk: unauthenticated upload plus web execution enables full server compromise.
Researcher notes
Evidence supports unauthenticated arbitrary file upload leading to RCE. The affected version data is broad and imprecise, listed as all versions with default status unaffected. Validate product presence and runtime behavior carefully before asserting exposure.
Mitigation direction
- Check current vendor or maintainer guidance before assuming a patch exists.
- Remove or isolate RateMyPet from internet-facing service where possible.
- Disable the banner upload feature or upload_banners.php if operationally feasible.
- Prevent script execution from /banners/ and other upload directories.
- Restrict administrative and upload paths behind trusted network controls.
- Review the host for compromise before returning service to production.
Validation and detection
- Inventory all public sites for Auxilium RateMyPet components.
- Check whether upload_banners.php is reachable without authentication.
- Inspect /banners/ for unexpected PHP or executable files.
- Review web logs for unauthenticated upload activity targeting upload_banners.php.
- Confirm upload directories cannot execute server-side scripts.
- Document whether the product is still required or can be retired.
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-434: 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 lookupExecution behavior lookup
The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program 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-2012-10038 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
- Critical
- CVSS
- 9.3 (4.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/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:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N——Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 4.0 score
9.3CriticalVector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/master/modules/exploits/multi/http/auxilium_upload_exec.rbCVE reference · exploit
- https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/21329CVE reference · exploit
- https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/21836CVE reference · exploit
- https://web.archive.org/web/20120331222419/http://www.auxiliumsoftware.com/CVE reference
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.
Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type
Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.