PatchSiren

PatchSiren cyber security CVE debrief

CVE-2016-2242 Exponentcms CVE debrief

CVE-2016-2242 is a critical remote code execution vulnerability in Exponent CMS 2.x before 2.3.7 Patch 3. A remote attacker can execute arbitrary code through the sc parameter to install/index.php, so exposed installations should be treated as urgent remediation candidates.

Vendor
Exponentcms
Product
Exponent Cms
CVSS
CRITICAL 9.8
CISA KEV
Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published
2017-01-23
Original CVE updated
2026-05-13
Advisory published
2017-01-23
Advisory updated
2026-05-13

Who should care

Administrators and operators of Exponent CMS 2.x deployments, especially any internet-facing site or legacy installation that may still be running a version earlier than 2.3.7 Patch 3.

Technical summary

The supplied CVE description identifies a remote code execution issue in Exponent CMS 2.x before 2.3.7 Patch 3, reachable via the sc parameter to install/index.php. NVD classifies the weakness as CWE-94 and assigns CVSS 3.0 vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, indicating a network-reachable issue with no privileges or user interaction required and full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.

Defensive priority

Immediate. Treat this as an urgent patching and exposure-reduction issue for any affected Exponent CMS instance.

Recommended defensive actions

  • Upgrade Exponent CMS to 2.3.7 Patch 3 or later using the vendor's guidance.
  • Verify whether any Exponent CMS installations are publicly reachable, including forgotten or legacy instances.
  • Review application and web server logs for unusual requests to install/index.php.
  • If patching must be delayed, restrict access to the application and reduce public exposure as much as possible.
  • After remediation, confirm the deployed version and validate that the fix is actually in place.

Evidence notes

This debrief is based on the supplied CVE description and NVD metadata. The record shows publication on 2017-01-23 and modification on 2026-05-13, with CVSS 3.0 9.8 and CWE-94. NVD also lists vendor patch/release-note references and third-party advisories, but the contents of those linked pages were not independently retrieved here.

Sources and references

Verified primary and authoritative sources

  • CVE-2016-2242 CVE Program record

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-2242

    CVE Program - Official CVE Program record with source-provided CVE metadata.

  • CVE-2016-2242 NVD vulnerability detail

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-2242

    NIST National Vulnerability Database - Official NIST NVD detail page and source-specific vulnerability assessment.

Supplemental references

Methodology and review provenance

AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.