#VU110314 Cross-site scripting in PHP - CVE-2009-4142

Vulnerability identifier: #VU110314

Vulnerability risk: Medium

CVSSv4.0: N/A

CVE-ID: CVE-2009-4142

CWE-ID: CWE-79

Exploitation vector: Network

Exploit availability: Yes

Vulnerable software:
PHP
Universal components / Libraries / Scripting languages

Vendor: PHP Group

Description

The disclosed vulnerability allows a remote attacker to perform cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks.

The vulnerability exists due to insufficient sanitization of user-supplied data. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to conduct cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks by placing a crafted byte sequence before a special character.

Successful exploitation of this vulnerability may allow a remote attacker to steal potentially sensitive information, change appearance of the web page, perform phishing and drive-by-download attacks.

Mitigation
Install update from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

PHP: 1.0, 2.0, 2.0b10, 3.0, 3.0.1, 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, 4.0, 4.0.0, 4.0.1, 4.0.2, 4.0.3, 4.0.4, 4.0.5, 4.0.6, 4.0.7, 4.1, 4.1.1, 4.1.2, 4.2, 4.2.1, 4.2.2, 4.2.3, 4.3, 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, 4.4.1, 4.4.2, 4.4.3, 4.4.4, 4.4.5, 4.4.6, 4.4.7, 4.4.8, 4.4.9, 5, 5.0.0, 5.0.1, 5.0.2, 5.0.3, 5.0.4, 5.0.5, 5.1.0, 5.1.1, 5.1.3, 5.1.4, 5.1.5, 5.1.6, 5.2, 5.2.1, 5.2.2, 5.2.3, 5.2.4, 5.2.5, 5.2.6, 5.2.8, 5.2.9, 5.2.10

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External links
https://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=49785
https://lists.apple.com/archives/security-announce/2010//Mar/msg00001.html
https://marc.info/?l=bugtraq&m=127680701405735&w=2
https://secunia.com/advisories/37821
https://secunia.com/advisories/38648
https://secunia.com/advisories/40262
https://securitytracker.com/id?1023372
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT4077
https://www.debian.org/security/2010/dsa-2001
https://www.php.net/ChangeLog-5.php
https://www.php.net/releases/5_2_12.php
https://www.securityfocus.com/bid/37389
https://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2009/3593
https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A10005
https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A7085

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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, proof of concept for this vulnerability is available.