CVE-2020-17496 — vBulletin PHP Module Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

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.

01What is this vulnerability?

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.

02Affected products

Vendor	Product	Versions
n	a / n/a	n/a

03Active exploitation status

Yes — actively exploited. Added to the CISA KEV catalog on 2021-11-03. Ransomware use: Unknown.

04Recommended remediation

• Patch to a fixed version listed in the vendor advisory (see references below).
• Mitigate with WAF rules, network egress filters, or feature flags where the patch is not yet available.
• Hunt historical logs for exploitation indicators — see Detection signatures below.

05Technical details

For the full vendor write-up, exploit chains, and reference implementations, see the references list in section 09.

06Detection signatures

Open the Sigma generator with a pre-filled prompt for this CVE to draft a starting detection in your stack of choice:

Open in Sigma generator →

07Related CVEs

08Timeline

• Published: 2020-08-12T13:07:58.000Z
• Last modified: 2025-10-21T23:35:38.580Z
• Added to CISA KEV: 2021-11-03
• BOD 22-01 due: 2022-05-03

09References

• cwe.mitre.org — https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/78.html
• blog.exploitee.rs — https://blog.exploitee.rs/2020/exploiting-vbulletin-a-tale-of-patch-fail/
• forum.vbulletin.com — https://forum.vbulletin.com/forum/vbulletin-announcements/vbulletin-announcement…
• seclists.org — https://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2020/Aug/5