CVE-2016-8869 in the critical feed json
The register method in the UsersModelRegistration class in controllers/user.php in the Users component in Joomla!
published 2016-11-04 10 y ago modified 2026-06-17 4 mo ago also EUVD-2016-9694
- cvss
- 9.8
- version 3.0, NVD
- cisa kev
- Not listed
- not in CISA's catalog
- epss
- 97.3%
- EPSS 97.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days, percentile 99.8%
- public exploits
- 2
- Metasploit, Exploit-DB
Summary
The register method in the UsersModelRegistration class in controllers/user.php in the Users component in Joomla! before 3.6.4 allows remote attackers to gain privileges by leveraging incorrect use of unfiltered data when registering on a site.
Patch / fix
Timeline
- First public exploit (Metasploit auxiliary/admin/http/joomla_registration_privesc)
- Published
Exploit prediction
97.25% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 99.8% of all scored CVEs (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-08).
Exploits and checks
- Metasploit auxiliary/admin/http/joomla_registration_privesc Joomla Account Creation and Privilege Escalation metasploit auxiliary, normal rank, 2016-10-25
- EDB-40637 Joomla! 3.4.4 < 3.6.4 - Account Creation / Privilege Escalation webapps, 2016-10-27
- blog.sucuri.net https://blog.sucuri.net/2016/10/details-on-the-privilege-escalation-vulnerability-in-joomla.html referenced PoC, tagged "exploit" by a source, unverified
CVSS scores
| assigned by | version | score | vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVD | 3.0 | 9.8 | CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| NVD | 2.0 | 7.5 | AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P |
Classification
- Weakness
-
- CWE-20 Improper Input Validation
References
-
github.com
/joomla/joomla-cms/commit/bae1d43938c878480cfd73671e4945211538fdcf
patch
-
exploit-db.com
/exploits/40637/
exploit, third-party-advisory
-
blog.sucuri.net
/2016/10/details-on-the-privilege-escalation-vulnerability-in-joomla.html
exploit, technical-description, third-party-advisory
-
developer.joomla.org
/security-centre/660-20161002-core-elevated-privileges.html
vendor-advisory
-
securityfocus.com
/bid/93883
vdb-entry, third-party-advisory
-
rapid7.com
/db/modules/auxiliary/admin/http/joomla_registration_privesc
third-party-advisory
-
securitytracker.com
/id/1037108
vdb-entry, third-party-advisory
- medium.com /%40showthread/joomla-3-6-4-account-creation-elevated-privileges-write-up-and-exploit-965d8fb46fa2#.rq4qh1v4r
Sources
- CVE List CVE-2016-8869
- NVD CVE-2016-8869
Fencer Vulns keeps one entry per vulnerability: the CVE id wins, then GHSA, and records that alias each other are merged, except that two CVEs always keep separate entries. The same data is available as JSON.