plugins/system/highlight/highlight.php in Joomla! 3.0.x through 3.0.2 and 2.5.x through 2.5.8 allows attackers to unserialize arbitrary PHP objects to obtain sensitive information, delete arbitrary directories, conduct SQL injection attacks, and possibly have other impacts via the highlight parameter. Note: it was originally reported that this issue only allowed attackers to obtain sensitive information, but later analysis demonstrated that other attacks exist.
CVE-2013-1453
- No confirmed exploitation signals yet
No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.
- CVSS v3
- —
- EG Score
- 0.0(none)
- EPSS
- 86.4%
- KEV
- Not listed
Published
February 13, 2013
Last Modified
April 29, 2026
References (8)
- cve@mitrehttp://developer.joomla.org/security/news/548-20130201-core-information-disclosure.html
- cve@mitrehttp://karmainsecurity.com/KIS-2013-03
- cve@mitrehttp://karmainsecurity.com/analysis-of-the-joomla-php-object-injection-vulnerability
- cve@mitrehttps://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/81925
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://developer.joomla.org/security/news/548-20130201-core-information-disclosure.html
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://karmainsecurity.com/KIS-2013-03
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://karmainsecurity.com/analysis-of-the-joomla-php-object-injection-vulnerability
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/81925
Data Freshness Timeline
(refreshed 7× in last 7d / 33× in last 30d)
Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.
- 2026-07-06 02:19 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-07-05 02:26 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-28 04:53 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-25 13:46 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-22 14:22 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-21 14:53 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-18 17:49 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-16 17:49 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-06 13:45 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-01 13:49 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-05-31 22:28 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-05-31 00:14 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-05-29 13:41 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-29 13:41 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-29 00:59 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-05-29 00:59 UTCGHSA enrichment
- 2026-05-28 13:42 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-28 13:42 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-28 13:42 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-27 13:38 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-05-26 13:41 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-05-26 07:16 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-05-24 16:43 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-22 21:15 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-05-22 21:15 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-21 22:39 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-20 22:37 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-20 22:37 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-20 11:21 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-05-20 11:21 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-18 21:29 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-18 21:29 UTCEPSS rescore
Publicly available exploits
(1 reference)Working exploit code is in the public domain (1 Exploit-DB entry). Defenders should treat patch urgency accordingly — public PoCs typically lead to mass-exploitation within 24-72 hours.
- Exploit-DBEDB-24551✓ verifiedFirst seen Feb 27, 2013
Joomla! 3.0.2 - 'highlight.php' PHP Object Injection
Open source ↗
Frequently asked(4)
What is CVE-2013-1453?
When was CVE-2013-1453 disclosed?
Is CVE-2013-1453 actively exploited?
How do I remediate CVE-2013-1453?
Dependency Blast Radius
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