CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2026-61511NVD status: Deferred

vBulletin: Improper Neutralization of Directives in Dynamically Evaluated Code

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2026-61511 is a critical-severity improper neutralization of directives in dynamically evaluated code vulnerability in vBulletin, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. Affected vBulletin versions: 5.0.0 through 5.7.5; 6.0.0 through 6.2.1. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 74.3% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is in the top 0.5% of all scored CVEs.

Patch now

Exploitation in the next 30 days is more likely than not, according to EPSS.

What to do

  1. Check which version of vBulletin you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
  2. Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
vBulletinvBulletin5.0.0 through 5.7.5; 6.0.0 through 6.2.1Not stated

Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Privileges required
NoneNo account or login is needed.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality
HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
Integrity
HighData or code can be modified at will.
Availability
HighThe component can be taken down completely.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by CNA (vulncheck.com).

Scoring systemScoreSeverityScored by
CVSS 4.09.3CriticalCNA (vulncheck.com)
CVSS 3.19.8CriticalCNA (vulncheck.com)

Official description

vBulletin 5.x through 5.7.5 and 6.x through 6.2.1 contains an eval injection vulnerability in the vB5_Template_Runtime::runMaths() method within the template runtime that allows unauthenticated remote attackers to execute arbitrary PHP code by supplying crafted input through the pagenav[pagenumber] parameter. Attackers can exploit the insufficiently restrictive regex filter by using phpfuck-style encoding with permitted characters to inject and execute arbitrary PHP code via the unauthenticated ajax/render template route without any authentication.

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Improper Neutralization of Directives in Dynamically Evaluated Code

The product receives input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes code syntax before using the input in a dynamic evaluation call (e.g. eval).

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • If possible, refactor your code so that it does not need to use eval() at all.
  • For Python programs, it is frequently encouraged to use the ast.literal_eval() function instead of eval, since it is intentionally designed to avoid executing code. However, an adversary could still cause excessive memory or stack consumption via deeply nested structures, so the python documentation discourages use of ast.literal_eval() on untrusted data.

More Improper Neutralization of Directives in Dynamically Evaluated Code vulnerabilities (CWE-95)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: poc, automatable: yes, technical impact: total).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Other vulnerabilities in vBulletin

All vBulletin vulnerabilities

Recent Improper Neutralization of Directives in Dynamically Evaluated Code vulnerabilities

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