#VU1312 Remote PHP including in PHPCow - CVE-2008-5227

Vulnerability identifier: #VU1312

Vulnerability risk: Critical

CVSSv4.0: 6.9 [CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:A/U:Red]

CVE-ID: CVE-2008-5227

CWE-ID: CWE-98

Exploitation vector: Network

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
PHPCow
Web applications / CMS

Vendor: PHPCow LLC

Description
The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary PHP code on the target application.

The weakness exists due to improper validation of input passed via the "skin_file" HTTP parameter to "templateie_install.class.php" script. A remote attacker can send a specially-crafted HTTP request to vulnerable script, specify a malicious file from a remote system and execute arbitrary PHP code on the system.

Successful exploitation of the vulnerability results in arbitrary PHP code execution on the vulnerable application.

Note: the vulnerability was being actively exploited.

Mitigation
Install update from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

PHPCow: 2008

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External links
https://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/515417
https://support.phpcow.com/index.php?_m=knowledgebase&_a=printable&kbarticleid=14

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Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

Yes. This vulnerability can be exploited by a remote non-authenticated attacker via the Internet.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability. However, a fully functional exploit for this vulnerability is available.