CVE-2019-11041 – This vulnerability in PHP's EXIF extension allo... (How to Fix)

Q: How do I fix CVE-2019-11041?

1. Update PHP to version 7.1.31, 7.2.21, or 7.3.8 or higher. 2. Restart PHP-FPM or web server (Apache/Nginx). 3. Verify the update with php -v command.

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2019-11041?

CVE-2019-11041 has a CVSS score of 7.1 (HIGH). This vulnerability in PHP's EXIF extension allows attackers to cause buffer over-read when parsing EXIF data from images via functions like exif_read_data(). This can lead to information disclosure or application crashes. It affects PHP versions 7.1.x below 7.1.31, 7.2.x below 7.2.21, and 7.3.x below 7.3.8.

📋 TL;DR

This vulnerability in PHP's EXIF extension allows attackers to cause buffer over-read when parsing EXIF data from images via functions like exif_read_data(). This can lead to information disclosure or application crashes. It affects PHP versions 7.1.x below 7.1.31, 7.2.x below 7.2.21, and 7.3.x below 7.3.8.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

PHP

Versions: PHP 7.1.x < 7.1.31, PHP 7.2.x < 7.2.21, PHP 7.3.x < 7.3.8

Operating Systems: All operating systems running affected PHP versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Requires EXIF extension to be enabled (commonly enabled by default) and applications using exif_read_data() or similar EXIF parsing functions.

📦 What is this software?

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Memory disclosure revealing sensitive information like passwords, session tokens, or private keys from PHP process memory, potentially leading to full system compromise.

🟠

Likely Case

Application crashes causing denial of service, with possible limited information disclosure from adjacent memory.

🟢

If Mitigated

Minimal impact if proper input validation and memory protections are in place, though crashes may still occur.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH - PHP applications processing user-uploaded images are directly exposed to exploitation.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Internal applications processing images could be exploited by authenticated users or through other attack vectors.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ⚠️ Yes

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: LOW

Exploitation requires uploading or providing a specially crafted image file to a vulnerable PHP application. Public proof-of-concept code exists in disclosure references.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: PHP 7.1.31, 7.2.21, 7.3.8

Vendor Advisory: https://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=78222

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update PHP to version 7.1.31, 7.2.21, or 7.3.8 or higher. 2. Restart PHP-FPM or web server (Apache/Nginx). 3. Verify the update with php -v command.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable EXIF extension

all

Disable the EXIF extension if not required by your application.

Remove or comment 'extension=exif' in php.ini

Input validation for image uploads

all

Implement strict validation and sanitization of uploaded image files before processing.

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to block malicious image uploads
Disable image upload functionality or restrict to trusted sources only

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check PHP version and if EXIF extension is enabled: php -m | grep exif && php -v

Check Version:

php -v | head -1

Verify Fix Applied:

Confirm PHP version is 7.1.31+, 7.2.21+, or 7.3.8+ and test EXIF parsing with known safe images.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

PHP segmentation fault errors
Unexpected memory access warnings in PHP logs
Multiple failed image upload attempts

Network Indicators:

Unusual image file uploads to PHP applications
Large number of image processing requests

SIEM Query:

source="php_error.log" AND ("segmentation fault" OR "buffer over-read" OR "exif_read_data")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2019-11041

CVSS v3 Score: 7.1 (HIGH)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:H

CWE: CWE-125

Published: August 9, 2019

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-10/msg00019.html Third Party Advisory
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2019/Oct/15 Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2019/Oct/55 Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:3299 Third Party Advisory
https://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=78222 Exploit,Patch,Vendor Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/08/msg00010.html Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/Oct/9 Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/Sep/35 Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/Sep/38 Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20190822-0003/ Third Party Advisory
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT210634 Third Party Advisory
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT210722 Third Party Advisory
https://usn.ubuntu.com/4097-1/ Third Party Advisory
https://usn.ubuntu.com/4097-2/ Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4527 Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4529 Third Party Advisory
https://www.tenable.com/security/tns-2021-14 Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-10/msg00019.html Third Party Advisory
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2019/Oct/15 Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2019/Oct/55 Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:3299 Third Party Advisory
https://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=78222 Exploit,Patch,Vendor Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/08/msg00010.html Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/Oct/9 Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/Sep/35 Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/Sep/38 Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20190822-0003/ Third Party Advisory
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT210634 Third Party Advisory
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT210722 Third Party Advisory
https://usn.ubuntu.com/4097-1/ Third Party Advisory
https://usn.ubuntu.com/4097-2/ Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4527 Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4529 Third Party Advisory
https://www.tenable.com/security/tns-2021-14 Third Party Advisory

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⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

Worst Case

Likely Case

If Mitigated

🎯 Exploit Status

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Instructions:

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable EXIF extension

Input validation for image uploads

🧯 If You Can't Patch

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Version:

Verify Fix Applied:

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Network Indicators:

SIEM Query:

📊 Metadata

🔗 References

📤 Share & Export

🔗 Related Vulnerabilities