#VU4197 Heap-based buffer underflow in PHP - CVE-2012-2688

Vulnerability identifier: #VU4197

Vulnerability risk: Critical

CVSSv4.0: 9.3 [CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:A/U:Red]

CVE-ID: CVE-2012-2688

CWE-ID: CWE-122

Exploitation vector: Network

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
PHP
Universal components / Libraries / Scripting languages

Vendor: PHP Group

Description
The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to cause DoS conditions or execute arbitrary code on the target system.

The weakness exists due to heap-based buffer underflow in the PHP scandir() function. A remote attacker can create specially crafted files, upload them to a directory the scandir() function runs on and cause the PHP interpreter to crash or execute arbitrary code with privileges of the web server.

Successful exploitation of the vulnerability results in denial of service or arbitrary code execution on the vulnerable system.

Note: the vulnerability was being actively exploited.

Mitigation
Update to version 5.3.15 or 5.4.5 or later.

Vulnerable software versions

PHP: 5.3.0 - 5.3.14, 5.4.0 - 5.4.4

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External links
https://www.php.net/ChangeLog-5.php

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Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

Yes. This vulnerability can be exploited by a remote non-authenticated attacker via the Internet.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability. However, a fully functional exploit for this vulnerability is available.