Hazard

Is CVE-2020-17496 being exploited?

Weaponised and widely attempted

Reliable public exploit code exists, or mass exploitation attempts are probable. Patch inside days, not weeks.

vBulletin PHP Module Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

vBulletin · vBulletin

CVSS 9.8 EPSS 88% no public exploit indexed Fix deadline passed 3 May 2022

What it is

The PHP module within vBulletin contains an unspecified vulnerability that allows for remote code execution via crafted subWidgets data in an ajax/render/widget_tabbedcontainer_tab_panel request. This CVE ID resolves an incomplete patch for CVE-2019-16759.

Why we say that

  • EPSS puts exploitation in the next 30 days at 88%
  • CISA's federal remediation deadline (2022-05-03) has passed
  • CVSS 9.8 critical
  • Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue

Every line above comes from a named public source. Where the evidence is thin, we say so rather than inventing confidence — see methodology.

What to do

Apply updates per vendor instructions.

What it costs when this goes wrong

This is where UK enforcement meets the vulnerability record. Where an unfixed vulnerability leads to a breach, the ICO treats it as a security failure under UK GDPR. Recent cases:

All UK cases caused by unpatched software →