Description
phpBB 2.0.17 and earlier, when register_globals is enabled and the session_start function has not been called to handle a session, allows remote attackers to bypass security checks by setting the $_SESSION and $HTTP_SESSION_VARS variables to strings instead of arrays, which causes an array_merge function call to fail.
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 3.1 | phpbb2 | 2.0.13+1-6sarge2 | DSA-925-1 |
Advisories 1
- DSA-925-1 phpbb2 - several Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
References
- 20413 vdb-entry
- 20051031 Advisory 17/2005: phpBB Multiple Vulnerabilities mailing-list
- DSA-925 vendor-advisory
- 17366 third-party-advisory
- 130 third-party-advisory
- 18098 third-party-advisory
- http://www.hardened-php.net/advisory_172005.75.html
- 1015121 vdb-entry
- 15243 vdb-entry