prefs.php in phpBB 1.4.0 and earlier allows remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary PHP code via an invalid language value, which prevents the variables (1) $l_statsblock in prefs.php or (2) $l_privnotify in auth.php from being properly initialized, which can be modified by the user and later used in an eval statement.
Weakness
The product does not initialize or incorrectly initializes a resource, which might leave the resource in an unexpected state when it is accessed or used.
Affected Software
| Name | Vendor | Start Version | End Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phpbb | Phpbb | * | 1.4.0 (including) |
Potential Mitigations
- Use a language that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid.
- For example, in Java, if the programmer does not explicitly initialize a variable, then the code could produce a compile-time error (if the variable is local) or automatically initialize the variable to the default value for the variable’s type. In Perl, if explicit initialization is not performed, then a default value of undef is assigned, which is interpreted as 0, false, or an equivalent value depending on the context in which the variable is accessed.
Related Attack Patterns
References
- http://archives.neohapsis.com/archives/bugtraq/2001-08/0123.html
- http://www.derkeiler.com/Mailing-Lists/securityfocus/bugtraq/2001-08/0087.html
- http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/920931
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/3167
- https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/6944
- http://archives.neohapsis.com/archives/bugtraq/2001-08/0123.html
- http://www.derkeiler.com/Mailing-Lists/securityfocus/bugtraq/2001-08/0087.html
- http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/920931
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/3167
- https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/6944