PHP up to 5.1 htmlspecialchars cross site scripting

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3.9	$0-$5k	0.00

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability classified as problematic was found in PHP. Affected is the function htmlspecialchars. Executing a manipulation can lead to cross site scripting. This vulnerability is handled as CVE-2009-4142. The attack can be executed remotely. Additionally, an exploit exists. Upgrading the affected component is advised.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability was found in PHP (Programming Language Software). It has been declared as problematic. This vulnerability affects the function htmlspecialchars. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a cross site scripting vulnerability. The CWE definition for the vulnerability is CWE-79. The product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users. As an impact it is known to affect integrity. CVE summarizes:

The htmlspecialchars function in PHP before 5.2.12 does not properly handle (1) overlong UTF-8 sequences, (2) invalid Shift_JIS sequences, and (3) invalid EUC-JP sequences, which allows remote attackers to conduct cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks by placing a crafted byte sequence before a special character.

The weakness was released 12/21/2009 (Website). The advisory is available at php.net. This vulnerability was named CVE-2009-4142 since 12/01/2009. The attack can be initiated remotely. No form of authentication is required for a successful exploitation. Successful exploitation requires user interaction by the victim. Technical details and also a public exploit are known. This vulnerability is assigned to T1059.007 by the MITRE ATT&CK project.

It is possible to download the exploit at securityfocus.com. It is declared as proof-of-concept. The vulnerability scanner Nessus provides a plugin with the ID 44865 (Debian DSA-2001-1 : php5 - multiple vulnerabilities), which helps to determine the existence of the flaw in a target environment. It is assigned to the family Debian Local Security Checks. The commercial vulnerability scanner Qualys is able to test this issue with plugin 118111 (HP-UX Running Apache with PHP Remote Denial of Service Vulnerability (HPSBUX02543)).

Upgrading to version 5.1.0 eliminates this vulnerability.

The vulnerability is also documented in the databases at X-Force (54915), Exploit-DB (33414), Tenable (44865), SecurityFocus (BID 37389†) and Secunia (SA37821†). Entries connected to this vulnerability are available at VDB-3693, VDB-3697, VDB-3695 and VDB-3696. If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.

Productinfo

Type

• Programming Language Software

Name

• PHP

Version

• 0.0.1
• 0.1
• 0.1.1
• 0.1.9.1
• 0.1.9.1b
• 0.1.9.2
• 0.1a
• 0.2
• 0.2.1
• 0.2.2
• 0.3
• 0.3.1
• 0.3.2
• 0.3.2.3
• 0.3.2.6
• 0.3.7c
• 0.4
• 0.4.0
• 0.4.2
• 0.4.5
• 0.4.6
• 0.4.7
• 0.4.7.1
• 0.5
• 0.5.0.1
• 0.5.1
• 0.5.2
• 0.6
• 0.6.1
• 0.6.6
• 0.7
• 0.7.0
• 0.7.1
• 0.7.2
• 0.7.7
• 0.7a
• 0.8
• 0.8.1
• 0.8.2
• 0.9
• 0.9 Beta
• 0.9.0
• 0.9.1
• 0.10
• 0.10.1
• 0.10.3
• 0.12-3+deb8u1
• 0.21
• 0.46
• 0.50
• 0.53
• 0.57
• 0.71
• 0.80
• 0.92
• 0.95
• 0.96
• 0.98
• 0.99
• 1
• 1.0
• 1.0 Beta
• 1.0.0
• 1.0.1
• 1.0.2
• 1.0.4
• 1.0.12
• 1.0b
• 1.0b1
• 1.0b2
• 1.00
• 1.01
• 1.04
• 1.06
• 1.1
• 1.1.0
• 1.1.01
• 1.1.02
• 1.1.1
• 1.1.2
• 1.1a
• 1.2
• 1.2.0
• 1.2.06
• 1.2.1
• 1.2.2
• 1.2.5
• 1.2.5a
• 1.2.7
• 1.2.7pl1
• 1.2.7_pl1
• 1.3
• 1.3.0
• 1.3.1
• 1.3F
• 1.4
• 1.4.0
• 1.5
• 1.5.1
• 1.5.2
• 1.5.5
• 1.6
• 1.6.1
• 1.6.7
• 1.6.8
• 1.7
• 1.7.0
• 1.7.8
• 1.8
• 1.8c
• 1.9
• 1.9.3
• 1.9.6
• 1.10.1
• 1.10.2
• 1.16.0
• 1.20
• 1.21
• 1.25
• 1.27pl1
• 1.30
• 1.52
• 1.61
• 1.79
• 2.0
• 2.0.0
• 2.0.0-RC4
• 2.0.1
• 2.0.2
• 2.0.3
• 2.0b10
• 2.0beta1
• 2.1
• 2.1.0
• 2.1.1
• 2.1.4
• 2.1.5
• 2.2
• 2.2.1
• 2.2.2
• 2.2.5
• 2.2.7
• 2.2.8
• 2.3
• 2.3.2
• 2.4
• 2.5
• 2.5.1.1
• 2.6
• 2.6.1
• 2.7
• 2.7.1
• 2.7.3
• 2.8.0
• 2.8.2
• 2.8.17
• 2.13
• 2.21
• 2.36
• 2.46
• 2.84
• 3
• 3.0
• 3.0-1
• 3.0-2
• 3.0.0
• 3.0.1
• 3.0.1.6
• 3.0.1.7
• 3.0.1.8
• 3.0.2
• 3.0.3
• 3.0.4
• 3.0.5
• 3.0.6
• 3.0.7
• 3.0.8
• 3.0.9
• 3.0.10
• 3.0.11
• 3.0.12
• 3.0.13
• 3.0.14
• 3.0.15
• 3.0.16
• 3.0.17
• 3.0.18
• 3.0.21
• 3.1
• 3.1.1
• 3.1r
• 3.2.0
• 3.2.2
• 3.3
• 3.3.0
• 3.3.2
• 3.4
• 3.7
• 3.9.1
• 3.9.2
• 3.43
• 3.288.1
• 4
• 4.0
• 4.0.0
• 4.0.1
• 4.0.2
• 4.0.3
• 4.0.4
• 4.0.4pl1
• 4.0.5
• 4.0.6
• 4.0.7
• 4.00
• 4.01
• 4.1
• 4.1.0
• 4.1.1
• 4.1.2
• 4.1.3
• 4.2
• 4.2.0
• 4.2.1
• 4.2.2
• 4.2.3
• 4.2.4
• 4.3
• 4.3.0
• 4.3.1
• 4.3.2
• 4.3.3
• 4.3.4
• 4.3.5
• 4.3.6
• 4.3.7
• 4.3.8
• 4.3.9
• 4.3.10
• 4.3.11
• 4.4
• 4.4.0
• 4.4.1
• 4.4.1a
• 4.4.2
• 4.4.3
• 4.4.4
• 4.4.5
• 4.4.6
• 4.4.7
• 4.4.8
• 4.4.9
• 4.5
• 4.8
• 4.70
• 4.86
• 5
• 5.0
• 5.0.0
• 5.0.1
• 5.0.2
• 5.0.3
• 5.0.4
• 5.0.5
• 5.01
• 5.01 Service Pack
• 5.1

License

• open-source

Website

• Product: https://www.php.org/

CPE 2.3info

• 🔍
• 🔍
• 🔍

CPE 2.2info

• 🔍
• 🔍
• 🔍

CVSSv4info

VulDB Vector: 🔍
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

CVSSv3info

VulDB Meta Base Score: 4.3
VulDB Meta Temp Score: 3.9

VulDB Base Score: 4.3
VulDB Temp Score: 3.9
VulDB Vector: 🔍
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

CVSSv2info

AV	AC	Au	C	I	A
💳	💳	💳	💳	💳	💳
💳	💳	💳	💳	💳	💳
💳	💳	💳	💳	💳	💳

Vector	Complexity	Authentication	Confidentiality	Integrity	Availability
Unlock	Unlock	Unlock	Unlock	Unlock	Unlock
Unlock	Unlock	Unlock	Unlock	Unlock	Unlock
Unlock	Unlock	Unlock	Unlock	Unlock	Unlock

VulDB Base Score: 🔍
VulDB Temp Score: 🔍
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

NVD Base Score: 🔍

Exploitinginfo

Class: Cross site scripting
CWE: CWE-79 / CWE-94 / CWE-74
CAPEC: 🔍
ATT&CK: 🔍

Physical: No
Local: No
Remote: Yes

Availability: 🔍
Access: Public
Status: Proof-of-Concept
Download: 🔍

EPSS Score: 🔍
EPSS Percentile: 🔍

Price Prediction: 🔍
Current Price Estimation: 🔍

0-Day	Unlock	Unlock	Unlock	Unlock
Today	Unlock	Unlock	Unlock	Unlock

Nessus ID: 44865
Nessus Name: Debian DSA-2001-1 : php5 - multiple vulnerabilities
Nessus File: 🔍
Nessus Risk: 🔍
Nessus Family: 🔍
Nessus Port: 🔍

OpenVAS ID: 66779
OpenVAS Name: Slackware Advisory SSA:2010-024-02 php
OpenVAS File: 🔍
OpenVAS Family: 🔍

Qualys ID: 🔍
Qualys Name: 🔍

Exploit-DB: 🔍

Threat Intelligenceinfo

Interest: 🔍
Active Actors: 🔍
Active APT Groups: 🔍

Countermeasuresinfo

Recommended: Upgrade
Status: 🔍

0-Day Time: 🔍

Upgrade: PHP 5.1.0

Timelineinfo

12/01/2009 🔍
12/17/2009 +16 days 🔍
12/17/2009 +0 days 🔍
12/17/2009 +0 days 🔍
12/18/2009 +1 days 🔍
12/21/2009 +3 days 🔍
12/21/2009 +0 days 🔍
12/21/2009 +0 days 🔍
02/24/2010 +65 days 🔍
03/18/2015 +1848 days 🔍
02/01/2025 +3608 days 🔍

Sourcesinfo

Product: php.org

Advisory: php.net
Status: Confirmed
Confirmation: 🔍

CVE: CVE-2009-4142 (🔍)
GCVE (CVE): GCVE-0-2009-4142
GCVE (VulDB): GCVE-100-51226

OVAL: 🔍

X-Force: 54915
SecurityFocus: 37389 - PHP 'htmlspecialcharacters()' Malformed Multibyte Character Cross Site Scripting Vulnerability
Secunia: 37821 - PHP Multiple Vulnerabilities, Moderately Critical
SecurityTracker: 1023372 - PHP Input Validation Flaw in htmlspecialchars() Permits Cross-Site Scripting Attacks
Vulnerability Center: 24410 - PHP < 5.2.12 htmlspecialchars Function Remote Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) Vulnerability, Medium
Vupen: ADV-2009-3593

scip Labs: https://www.scip.ch/en/?labs.20161013
See also: 🔍

Entryinfo

Created: 03/18/2015 15:15
Updated: 02/01/2025 22:18
Changes: 03/18/2015 15:15 (66), 02/18/2017 09:38 (20), 08/30/2021 08:46 (3), 02/01/2025 22:18 (16)
Complete: 🔍
Cache ID: 216:149:103

If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.

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