CVE intelligence and bounded remediation

CVE-2016-9836 — The file scanning mechanism of JFilterInput::isFileSafe() in Joomla!

Critical CVSS 9.8

The file scanning mechanism of JFilterInput::isFileSafe() in Joomla! CMS before 3.6.5 does not consider alternative PHP file extensions when checking uploaded files for PHP content, which enables a user to upload and execute files with the `.php6`, `.php7`, `.phtml`, and `.phpt` extensions. Additionally, JHelperMedia::canUpload() did not blacklist these file extensions as uploadable file types.

Severity
Critical
CVSS
9.8 (3.0)
Published
2016-12-05
CISA KEV
Not currently listed
Ecosystem
software/application
Weaknesses
CWE-284

Affected products

  • joomla / joomla!

Matched remediation archetype

Authorization bypass, IDOR, and cross-tenant access

This catalog composition supplies bounded fallback guidance. Explicitly reviewed curated workflows load with the complete record below.

Check exposure

  • Map object and action authorization checks across API, UI, batch, import/export, and background-job paths.
  • Identify tenant, ownership, role, and policy boundaries for affected resources and administrative operations.
  • Use synthetic fixtures to compare intended access matrices without accessing another user's real data.

Remediate safely

  • Enforce server-side authorization at each resource access and state transition using the authenticated principal and trusted tenant context.
  • Scope data queries by tenant and ownership; treat client-supplied identifiers, roles, and policy claims as untrusted.
  • Add deny-by-default policy tests for horizontal and vertical access across every affected transport.

Authoritative sources

Complete CVE record and remediation plan

The detailed catalog view below loads this exact record, its source evidence, and the full seven-phase agentic change plan.