Mitigation Instructions for PHP versions 5.4.x Prior to 5.4.40

PHP 5.4.x Prior to 5.4.40 Multiple Vulnerabilities Report

Executive Summary

This report outlines a series of critical security vulnerabilities identified in PHP versions prior to 5.4.40. These vulnerabilities present various risks including denial of service (DoS), unauthorized disclosure of memory contents, and arbitrary code execution, necessitating immediate attention and action from IT and security professionals.

Vulnerabilities Overview

• CVE-2014-9709: An out-of-bounds read issue in gd_gif_in.c can lead to DoS or memory disclosure through a specially crafted GIF file.
• CVE-2015-1352: A NULL pointer dereference in the PostgreSQL extension's pgsql.c could result in DoS when processing malformed table names.
• CVE-2015-2301: A use-after-free vulnerability in phar_object.c allows DoS or arbitrary code execution when renaming a Phar archive.
• CVE-2015-2783 & CVE-2015-3307: Out-of-bounds read and memory corruption in Phar processing can cause DoS or arbitrary code execution via specially crafted archives.
• CVE-2015-3329: Stack-based buffer overflows in phar_internal.h could lead to arbitrary code execution or DoS when handling certain archive files.
• CVE-2015-3330: An issue in the Apache2handler SAPI with pipelined HTTP requests can lead to DoS or arbitrary code execution.
• CVE-2015-3411 & CVE-2015-3412: Inadequate handling of NULL byte sequences in file path processing can bypass restrictions and disclose sensitive information.
• CVE-2015-4599, CVE-2015-4600, CVE-2015-4601, CVE-2015-4602, CVE-2015-4603: Type confusion errors in various components, notably in SOAP and exception handling, allow for arbitrary code execution or DoS.
• CVE-2015-4604 & CVE-2015-4605: Vulnerabilities in the bundled libmagic library related to handling crafted strings can cause application crashes.
• Additional vulnerabilities in SQLite3, Curl, and regex processing components enhance the potential for unauthorized code execution or service disruption.

Risk Assessment

• CVSS v2 Base Score: 10 (Critical)
• CVSS v3 Base Score: 9.8 (Critical)
• The vulnerabilities span from critical memory corruptions to type confusion errors, with potential for remote exploitation without user interaction.

Recommendations

• Immediate Upgrade: Upgrade to PHP version 5.4.40 or newer to mitigate all listed vulnerabilities.
• Patch Management: Regularly review and apply security patches for PHP and associated components to protect against exploitation of known vulnerabilities.
• Security Monitoring: Enhance monitoring of web servers and applications utilizing PHP to detect potential malicious activities stemming from these vulnerabilities.

References

• PHP official changelog and security advisories should be consulted for detailed patch notes and vulnerability descriptions.

Conclusion

Given the critical nature of these vulnerabilities and the broad impact across multiple components, it is paramount for security teams to promptly address these issues through upgrades and vigilant security practices to safeguard against potential exploits.