CVE-2026-66837 in Thrift
Summary
by MITRE • 10/02/2026
Stack-based Buffer Overflow, Integer Overflow or Wraparound vulnerability in Apache Thrift php bindings.
This issue affects Apache Thrift: before 0.25.0.
Users are recommended to upgrade to version 0.25.0, which fixes the issue.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/02/2026
The identified security flaw resides within the PHP bindings of the Apache Thrift framework, a high-performance communication library used for scalable cross-language service development. This vulnerability manifests as both a stack-based buffer overflow and an integer overflow or wraparound condition, representing two distinct but potentially compounding failure modes in memory management logic. Stack-based buffer overflows occur when data is written to a fixed-size block of memory on the call stack without adequate bounds checking, allowing attackers to overwrite adjacent memory locations including return addresses and local variables. Integer overflows arise when arithmetic operations exceed the maximum value that can be stored in an integer variable type, causing the value to wrap around to a negative number or zero, which often leads to incorrect buffer size calculations during subsequent allocation or copy operations.
In the context of Apache Thrift versions prior to 0.25.0, these vulnerabilities likely stem from improper validation of input lengths or sizes provided by clients when invoking remote procedure calls. If an attacker can supply a crafted payload with specifically manipulated integer values, they may trick the application into allocating insufficient memory space while attempting to process large data structures. When the subsequent buffer copy operation proceeds based on this miscalculated size, it writes beyond the allocated stack boundaries. This corruption of the execution environment allows for arbitrary code execution under the context of the vulnerable service process. The combination of integer wraparound and buffer overflow creates a potent attack vector where standard length checks may be bypassed due to the mathematical anomaly introduced by the signed or unsigned integer misinterpretation.
The operational impact of exploiting this vulnerability is severe, potentially leading to complete compromise of the server hosting the Thrift services. Successful exploitation enables remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system, escalate privileges if the service runs with elevated permissions, cause denial-of-service conditions through application crashes or memory corruption, and exfiltrate sensitive data residing in adjacent memory spaces such as authentication tokens or cryptographic keys. Given that Apache Thrift is frequently used in microservices architectures handling critical business logic, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to system integrity and availability across distributed enterprise environments relying on these bindings for inter-service communication.
Mitigation strategies prioritize immediate software updates over complex workarounds due to the fundamental nature of memory safety issues in lower-level languages like C or C++ which often underpin such libraries. Users are strongly advised to upgrade Apache Thrift to version 0.25.0 or later, where these specific integer and buffer handling flaws have been addressed through rigorous input validation and safer memory management practices. In environments where immediate upgrading is not feasible, implementing strict network-level access controls can help limit exposure by restricting which hosts can communicate with the vulnerable services. Additionally, deploying intrusion detection systems capable of identifying anomalous traffic patterns associated with exploitation attempts may provide an additional layer of defense against active attacks targeting this specific weakness in older Thrift deployments.
From a classification perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-120 Buffer Overflow without Bounds Check and CWE-190 Integer Overflow or Wraparound as defined by the Common Weakness Enumeration standard. These categories highlight the failure to validate input data ranges before use in memory operations. In terms of tactical mapping within the MITRE ATT&CK framework, this flaw facilitates initial access via exploitation for remote code execution, a technique commonly observed in advanced persistent threat campaigns targeting widely deployed middleware components. Understanding these classifications aids security teams in prioritizing remediation efforts and enhancing monitoring capabilities to detect similar patterns across their infrastructure.