Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
InstantCMS 1.6 and earlier can let an unauthenticated remote attacker run PHP code on the server. That can lead to full compromise of the website and hosted data. Treat any exposed legacy InstantCMS deployment as urgent until proven patched or removed.
Executive priority
Handle as a high-urgency legacy web application risk. Public exploit material and unauthenticated remote code execution make exposed systems unacceptable for normal operation without confirmed remediation or isolation.
Technical view
The vulnerability is unsafe eval() handling in the InstantCMS search view. User-controlled input in the look parameter is incorporated into a PHP expression without adequate sanitization, enabling arbitrary PHP execution in the web server context. The CVSS 4.0 score is 9.3 critical.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on internet-facing InstantCMS sites running version 1.6 or earlier. The structured affected-version data is incomplete, so inventory should verify actual deployed versions, search functionality, and public reachability.
Exploitation context
The provided sources include public exploit references, including Rapid7 Metasploit, Exploit-DB, and Packet Storm. The CVE is not marked KEV, and the bundle provides no evidence of active exploitation in the wild.
Researcher notes
Evidence supports RCE via unsafe eval() in the search handler, but affected-version metadata is weak and no patch details are included. Avoid assuming broader product impact beyond InstantCMS 1.6 and earlier without vendor confirmation.
Mitigation direction
- Identify all InstantCMS deployments and prioritize version 1.6 or earlier.
- Check InstantCMS or vendor guidance for fixed versions or official workarounds.
- Restrict public access to vulnerable InstantCMS search functionality where feasible.
- Retire or isolate unsupported legacy InstantCMS instances.
- Review web server logs for suspicious requests against InstantCMS search routes.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether InstantCMS is present in external and internal asset inventory.
- Verify deployed InstantCMS versions against 1.6 and earlier.
- Check whether affected search views are reachable without authentication.
- Review logs for anomalous search requests and unexpected PHP execution indicators.
- Confirm remediation through version review and controlled application testing.
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-95: Code execution behavior lookup
Code execution and unsafe deserialization weaknesses often justify reviewing execution behavior and process 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 lookupCVE-2013-10051 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.
SSVC decision data
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——VulnCheckVulnerability 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
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
ADP provider summaries
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/master/modules/exploits/unix/webapp/instantcms_exec.rbCVE reference, VulnCheck · exploit
- https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/26622CVE reference, VulnCheck · exploit
- https://packetstorm.news/files/id/122176CVE reference, VulnCheck · exploit
- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/instantcms-remote-php-code-executionCVE reference, VulnCheck · 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 Neutralization of Directives in Dynamically Evaluated Code ('Eval Injection')
Improper Neutralization of Directives in Dynamically Evaluated Code ('Eval Injection') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.