CVE-2009-5068

Exp

There is a file disclosure vulnerability in SMF (Simple Machines Forum) affecting versions through v2.0.3. On some configurations a SMF deployment is shared by several "co-admins" that are not trusted beyond the SMF deployment. This vulnerability allows them to read arbitrary files on the filesystem and therefore gain new privileges by reading the settings.php with the database passwords.

Published: 2020-01-15 Last update: 2024-11-21 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2009-5068 is rated High Exploit Risk (74/100): CVSS High severity, with medium exploitation likelihood (EPSS 3.11%). 1 public exploit reference(s) are indexed (Exploit-DB). Public exploits are available—assess exposure, apply mitigations, and prioritize patching.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Public exploit references (Exploit-DB) for CVE-2009-5068

EDB-ID Source Kind Published Link
10274 exploit_db edb 2009-12-02 Exploit-DB ↗

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2009-5068

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-04-21 3.27% 3.11% -0.16%
2 2025-06-29 4.03% 3.27% -0.76%
3 2025-03-30 — 4.03% —

Full EPSS history (7 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2009-5068

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
7.2 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:H)
They need powerful rights—admin, root, or similar—before this pays off.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 1.2 5.9 [email protected]
3.5 2.0 LOW
AV:N/AC:M/Au:S/C:P/I:N/A:N Click to expand
Access vector (AV:N)
Can be exploited remotely over network reachability.
Access complexity (AC:M)
Exploitation needs some favorable conditions, but not exceptional ones.
Authentication (AU:S)
A single authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:P)
Partial confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:N)
No integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:N)
No availability impact.
 6.8 2.9 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2009-5068

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2009-5068

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
simplemachines simple_machines_forum <= 2.0.3 cpe:2.3:a:simplemachines:simple_machines_forum:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2009-5068

URL Tags
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2013/02/01/4 Mailing List Third Party Advisory
cvelogic Threat Intelligence