CVE-2024-58136 in Yii2
Summary
by MITRE • 04/10/2025
Yii 2 before 2.0.52 mishandles the attaching of behavior that is defined by an __class array key, a CVE-2024-4990 regression, as exploited in the wild in February through April 2025.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/08/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-58136 represents a critical security flaw in the Yii 2 framework affecting versions prior to 2.0.52. This issue constitutes a regression from CVE-2024-4990 and demonstrates how seemingly minor implementation details in framework behavior can lead to significant security implications. The flaw specifically relates to how the framework handles behavior attachment when a class is defined using an __class array key, creating a vector for potential exploitation that has already been observed in the wild during the February through April 2025 timeframe.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the improper handling of class definitions within the behavior attachment mechanism of Yii 2. When a behavior is configured using an __class array key, the framework fails to properly validate or sanitize the class reference, potentially allowing attackers to manipulate the behavior attachment process. This misconfiguration can lead to unexpected class loading behavior where malicious class definitions might be executed or where legitimate class resolution is bypassed. The vulnerability exploits the framework's internal handling of array-based class definitions, particularly when these definitions are processed during behavior attachment operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation or code execution. Attackers can leverage this flaw to manipulate the framework's behavior attachment system, potentially leading to unauthorized access to system resources, data manipulation, or even full system compromise. The regression nature of this vulnerability indicates that a previously addressed issue in CVE-2024-4990 was reintroduced or inadequately fixed, creating a window of opportunity for attackers to exploit the framework during the observed exploitation period. This vulnerability affects applications that rely on dynamic behavior attachment and may be particularly dangerous in environments where user input is processed through framework components.
Security mitigations for CVE-2024-58136 primarily involve immediate upgrading to Yii 2 version 2.0.52 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the improper handling of __class array keys in behavior attachment. Organizations should also implement comprehensive code review processes to identify any custom implementations that might be susceptible to similar issues, particularly those involving dynamic class loading or behavior attachment mechanisms. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-707, representing a weakness in the design of object-oriented frameworks where improper handling of class references leads to security vulnerabilities. From an ATT&CK perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving privilege escalation and execution through framework manipulation, potentially enabling adversaries to establish persistence or escalate their access within affected systems.
Organizations should conduct thorough security assessments of their Yii 2 applications to identify any custom behaviors or extensions that might be vulnerable to this class of attack. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining strict input validation and output encoding practices, particularly in frameworks that support dynamic behavior attachment. Security teams should also implement monitoring for unusual behavior attachment patterns or unexpected class loading operations that could indicate exploitation attempts. Given that this vulnerability has been exploited in the wild, immediate remediation is critical, and organizations should prioritize patching over other security activities to prevent potential compromise of their applications and underlying infrastructure.