CVE-2005-2106 in Drupal
Summary
by MITRE
Unknown vulnerability in Drupal 4.5.0 through 4.5.3, 4.6.0, and 4.6.1 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary PHP code via a public comment or posting.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/21/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-2106 represents a critical remote code execution flaw affecting multiple versions of the Drupal content management system. This issue manifests in Drupal versions 4.5.0 through 4.5.3 and 4.6.0 through 4.6.1, where attackers can exploit a flaw in the comment and posting handling mechanisms to inject and execute arbitrary PHP code on affected systems. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization within the platform's user submission processing functionality, creating an avenue for malicious actors to escalate their privileges and gain unauthorized control over web applications.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-94, which describes "Improper Control of Generation of Code" or "Code Injection" flaws in software systems. This particular weakness occurs when user-supplied data is directly processed and executed as code without proper sanitization or validation measures. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability by crafting specially formatted comments or posts that contain malicious PHP code snippets. When these submissions are processed by the Drupal system, the code gets executed within the web server context, potentially allowing full system compromise.
The operational impact of CVE-2005-2106 extends beyond simple code execution, as it provides attackers with the capability to perform various malicious activities including data exfiltration, system reconnaissance, privilege escalation, and persistent backdoor installation. Organizations running affected Drupal versions face significant risk of unauthorized access to their web applications, potentially leading to complete system compromise and data breaches. The vulnerability's remote nature means that attackers do not require local system access or credentials to exploit the flaw, making it particularly dangerous for publicly accessible web applications. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1059.007 "Command and Scripting Interpreter: PHP" and T1190 "Exploit Public-Facing Application" tactics, highlighting the attack vectors and techniques available to adversaries.
The exploitation of this vulnerability requires minimal technical expertise, making it attractive to threat actors across the spectrum from script kiddies to advanced persistent threat groups. The impact is particularly severe because Drupal was widely used for enterprise and public websites, meaning that successful exploitation could affect numerous organizations simultaneously. Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including upgrading to patched versions of Drupal, implementing proper input validation measures, and applying web application firewalls to detect and block malicious submissions. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date software components and implementing robust security controls around user-generated content processing within web applications.