CVE-2020-11579: An issue was discovered in Chadha PHPKB 9.0 Enterprise Edition

This week

HIGH 7.5REMOTEDOWNGRADE

CVE-2020-11579 is a high-severity flaw (CVSS 7.5) affecting phpkb. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

An issue was discovered in Chadha PHPKB 9.0 Enterprise Edition. installer/test-connection.php (part of the installation process) allows a remote unauthenticated attacker to disclose local files on hosts running PHP before 7.2.16, or on hosts where the MySQL ALLOW LOCAL DATA INFILE option is enabled.

Why this priority

High severity
EPSS top 2%: very likely to be exploited
Public exploit reference
Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

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

Risk facts

CVSS score	7.5 (High)
Attack vector	Network (remote)
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	None
User interaction	None
EPSS exploit chance	26.9% (top 2%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-306
Published	2020-09-03
Last modified	2026-06-17

Publisher (CNA): MITRE · Vendor: chadhaajay

Last updated 2026-06-17 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2020-09-03 18:15 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-17 02:50 UTCUpdated Record last modified

chadhaajay phpkb DOWNGRADE

Affected: 9.0

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 9.0

1. Check installed version

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

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 9.0 (Debian / Ubuntu)

apt-cache madison phpkb sudo apt install phpkb=<VERSION_BEFORE_9.0> sudo apt-mark hold phpkb

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

dnf --showduplicates list phpkb sudo dnf downgrade phpkb-<VERSION_BEFORE_9.0> sudo dnf versionlock add phpkb

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.

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-2020-11579?

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

Is CVE-2020-11579 being exploited?

CVE-2020-11579 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-2020-11579 affect?

CVE-2020-11579 affects phpkb. Severity is high (CVSS 7.5). An issue was discovered in Chadha PHPKB 9.0 Enterprise Edition. installer/test-connection.php (part of the installation process) allows a remote unauthenticated attacker to disclose local files on hosts running PHP before 7.2.16, or on host

How urgent is CVE-2020-11579?

Priority 61/100. High severity; EPSS top 2%: very likely to be exploited; Public exploit reference; Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

Software pages

PHP vulnerabilities · MySQL vulnerabilities

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References

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