CVE-2009-0866: pHNews Alpha 1 stores sensitive information under the web root with insufficient access control, which allows

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MEDIUM 5.0DOWNGRADE

CVE-2009-0866 is a medium-severity flaw (CVSS 5.0) affecting phnews. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

pHNews Alpha 1 stores sensitive information under the web root with insufficient access control, which allows remote attackers to download a database via a direct request for extra/genbackup.php.

Why this priority

Public exploit reference

No fix is published yet: follow the downgrade or mitigation steps.

Risk facts

CVSS score	5.0 (Medium)
EPSS exploit chance	2.5% (top 15%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-264
Published	2009-03-10
Last modified	2026-06-16

Publisher (CNA): MITRE · Vendor: phnews

Last updated 2026-06-16 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2009-03-10 14:30 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-16 23:05 UTCUpdated Record last modified

phnews phnews DOWNGRADE

Affected: 1 alpha

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 1

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy phnews || rpm -q phnews || phnews --version

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 1 (Debian / Ubuntu)

apt-cache madison phnews sudo apt install phnews=<VERSION_BEFORE_1> sudo apt-mark hold phnews

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

dnf --showduplicates list phnews sudo dnf downgrade phnews-<VERSION_BEFORE_1> sudo dnf versionlock add phnews

Downgrade risk

Downgrading can break dependent software and may reopen older bugs. Read the distro advisory first and test on a non-production host.

After downgrade

Restart the service, and keep the package held until a fixed release ships.

Public exploits and detection

Public code exists for this CVE. Treat unpatched systems as at risk, and only run PoCs in a lab.

Exploit-DB: pHNews Alpha 1 - 'genbackup.php' Database Disclosure

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2009-0866?

phnews: downgrade or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2009-0866 being exploited?

CVE-2009-0866 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2009-0866 affect?

CVE-2009-0866 affects phnews. Severity is medium (CVSS 5.0). pHNews Alpha 1 stores sensitive information under the web root with insufficient access control, which allows remote attackers to download a database via a direct request for extra/genbackup.php.

How urgent is CVE-2009-0866?

Priority 44/100. Public exploit reference

Software pages

PHP vulnerabilities

References

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