CVE-2018-12712 Path traversal in n/a
Attackers can exploit a PHP validation flaw in Joomla's autoload mechanism to perform Local File Inclusion, potentially leading to code execution or data disclosure.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Any signed-in user
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2018-12712?
CVE-2018-12712 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Joomla Joomla\!, published on 26 Jun 2018. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
An issue was discovered in Joomla! 2.5.0 through 3.8.8 before 3.8.9. The autoload code checks classnames to be valid, using the "class_exists" function in PHP. In PHP 5.3, this function validates invalid names as valid, which can result in a Local File Inclusion.
Weakness: CWE-20
Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-12712?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Joomla Joomla\!.
How do I fix CVE-2018-12712?
No fix has been published for CVE-2018-12712 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Upgrade, and resolve every user-supplied path against an allowed base folder before opening it. More about Path traversal.
Is CVE-2018-12712 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-12712 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Joomla Joomla\!
- CVE-2016-10033 PHPMailer Command Injection
- CVE-2023-23752 Joomla! Improper Access Control
- CVE-2026-48902 Joomla! Core - [20260518] - Transport encryption downgrade for password and username reset links
- CVE-2025-25226 [20250401] - Joomla Framework - SQL injection vulnerability in quoteNameStr method of Database package
- CVE-2022-23795 [20220303] - Core - User row are not bound to a authentication mechanism
Sources
Also known as GHSA-5vwc-3f9c-mm3h.