CVE-2019-16759vBulletin 5.x through 5.5.4 allows remote command execution via the widgetConfig[code] parameter in an ajax/render/widget_php routestring…
- 9.8CriticalCVSS base score
- 99.7%Exploitation in 30 daysEPSS · top 0.1% of all CVEs
- YesKnown exploitedin CISA's KEV since 3 Nov 2021
- 4Public exploitsMetasploit, Nuclei and Exploit-DB
Description
vBulletin 5.x through 5.5.4 allows remote command execution via the widgetConfig[code] parameter in an ajax/render/widget_php routestring request.
Exploited in the wild
CISA lists this vulnerability in its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog as vBulletin PHP Module Remote Code Execution Vulnerability.
- Added
- 3 Nov 2021
- Fix due (US federal)
- 3 May 2022
- Used by ransomware
- Not known
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
ENISA's EU Vulnerability Database lists it as exploited, from CISA's KEV, since 3 Nov 2021.
Public exploit
An exploit or proof of concept is public: anyone can try it against an unpatched system. The public collections list a Metasploit module, a Nuclei template and 2 Exploit-DB entries for it. CISA's SSVC rates its exploitation: it is being exploited.
Show the exploits4
Metasploit modules1 module
- vBulletin widgetConfig RCE (Metasploit module) (opens in a new tab)
exploit/multi/http/vbulletin_widgetconfig_rceRank excellentdisclosed 23 Sept 2019
Nuclei templates1 template
- vBulletin 5.0.0-5.5.4 - Remote Command Execution (Nuclei template) (opens in a new tab)
http/cves/2019/CVE-2019-16759.yamlSeverity critical
Exploit-DB2 entries
- vBulletin 5.x - Remote Command Execution (Metasploit) (Exploit-DB entry) (opens in a new tab)
EDB-ID 47437webapps, phppublished 30 Sept 2019Not verified
- vBulletin 5.0 < 5.5.4 - 'widget_php ' Unauthenticated Remote Code Execution (Exploit-DB entry) (opens in a new tab)
EDB-ID 47447webapps, phppublished 23 Sept 2019Not verified
Modules, templates and exploits as listed by the Metasploit Framework (BSD-3-Clause), ProjectDiscovery's Nuclei templates (MIT) and the Exploit Database (GPLv2), read once a day. Where the data comes from
Timeline
ID reserved
By mitre
Published
- 2 years later
· 2 years later
Added to CISA KEV
Known exploited in the wild
- 4 years later
· 4 years later
Record updated
Changes after publication (a new score, a public exploit, EPSS crossing 1, 10 or 50 %, leaving KEV) are kept since November 2026; earlier ones are not known.
Scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| CISA-ADPADP (enrichment) | 3.1 | Critical9.8 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| NVDNVD · Analyzed | 3.1 | Critical9.8 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
- EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)
- 99.7% · top 0.1% of all CVEs (12 Nov 2026)
- CISA SSVC
- Exploitation: active · Automatable: yes · Technical impact: total
The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: Critical 9.8.
Affected products
n/a
- affected n/a
References
References11
- https://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2019/Sep/31 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/09/24/vbulletin_vbug_zeroday/ (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/09/public-exploit-code-spawns-mass-attacks-against-high-severity-vbulletin-bug/ (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/154623/vBulletin-5.x-0-Day-Pre-Auth-Remote-Command-Execution.html (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/154648/vBulletin-5.x-Pre-Auth-Remote-Code-Execution.html (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/155633/vBulletin-5.5.4-Remote-Command-Execution.html (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/158830/vBulletin-5.x-Remote-Code-Execution.html (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/158829/vBulletin-5.x-Remote-Code-Execution.html (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- 20200811 Remote Code Execution 0day in vBulletin 5.x (opens in a new tab)mailing-listx_refsource_FULLDISCx_transferred
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/158866/vBulletin-5.x-Remote-Code-Execution.html (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2019-16759 (opens in a new tab)government-resource
Sources
The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.
- CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
- CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
- NVD (opens in a new tab)
- CISA KEV catalog (opens in a new tab)
- FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
- EUVD EUVD-2019-7294 (opens in a new tab)
- OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
- GitHub Advisories (opens in a new tab)
- CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)
Badge for a README or a ticket
[](https://cveledger.app/cve/CVE-2019-16759)Record last updated .