CVE-2020-17496 vBulletin PHP Module Remote Code Execution
Remote attackers can execute arbitrary code on vBulletin servers by sending crafted data to a specific AJAX endpoint.
- Exploited in the wild
- Since 3 Nov 2021
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2020-17496?
CVE-2020-17496 is a critical code injection vulnerability in Vbulletin Vbulletin, published on 12 Aug 2020. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Official description
vBulletin 5.5.4 through 5.6.2 allows remote command execution via crafted subWidgets data in an ajax/render/widget_tabbedcontainer_tab_panel request. NOTE: this issue exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2019-16759.
Weakness: CWE-74
Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-17496?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Vbulletin Vbulletin.
How do I fix CVE-2020-17496?
No fix has been published for CVE-2020-17496 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available. US federal agencies must fix it by 3 May 2022.
Upgrade, and never evaluate templates, expressions or code built from user input. More about Code injection.
Is CVE-2020-17496 being exploited?
Yes. Attackers have exploited CVE-2020-17496 in the wild since at least 3 Nov 2021.
Public exploit code: 1 Metasploit module, 1 Nuclei template and 2 proofs of concept on GitHub.
Other vulnerabilities in Vbulletin Vbulletin
- CVE-2019-16759 vBulletin PHP Module Remote Code Execution
- CVE-2025-48827 vBulletin 5.0.0 through 5.7.5 and 6.0.0 through 6.0.3 allows unauthenticated users to invoke protected API controllers' methods when running
- CVE-2023-25135 Deserialization in n/a
- CVE-2020-7373 Code injection in n/a
- CVE-2020-12720 SQL injection in n/a
Sources
Also known as GHSA-j77p-6wx9-cjqq.