CVE-2025-14177
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes an information disclosure vulnerability in PHP's getimagesize() function where uninitialized heap memory can leak into image metadata segments. Attackers can exploit this by uploading specially crafted images to extract sensitive data from server memory. PHP versions 8.1.0-8.1.33, 8.2.0-8.2.29, 8.3.0-8.3.28, 8.4.0-8.4.15, and 8.5.0 are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- PHP
📦 What is this software?
Php by Php
Php by Php
Php by Php
Php by Php
Php by Php
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers extract sensitive data like encryption keys, session tokens, passwords, or other application secrets from server memory, leading to complete system compromise.
Likely Case
Information disclosure of random heap memory contents, potentially exposing fragments of sensitive data that could be pieced together for further attacks.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper input validation and file upload restrictions, though memory leakage still occurs.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires ability to upload or process images through vulnerable PHP code paths.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 8.1.34, 8.2.30, 8.3.29, 8.4.16, 8.5.1
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/php/php-src/security/advisories/GHSA-3237-qqm7-mfv7
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update PHP to patched version using your package manager (apt-get upgrade php, yum update php, etc.) 2. Restart web server (apache2 restart, systemctl restart nginx) 3. Verify PHP version with php -v
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable php://filter for image processing
allPrevent use of php://filter wrapper in image processing functions
php_admin_value allow_url_fopen Off
php_admin_value allow_url_include Off
Input validation for image uploads
allImplement strict validation of uploaded images before processing with getimagesize()
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict file upload restrictions and validate all image inputs
- Disable or restrict getimagesize() usage in applications processing untrusted images
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check PHP version with php -v and compare against affected versionsCheck Version:
php -v | head -1Verify Fix Applied:
Verify PHP version is 8.1.34+, 8.2.30+, 8.3.29+, 8.4.16+, or 8.5.1+📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Multiple failed image upload attempts
- Unusual image processing errors
- Large number of getimagesize() function calls
Network Indicators:
- Unusual image file uploads to PHP endpoints
- Requests with php://filter in parameters
SIEM Query:
source="web_logs" AND (uri="*upload*" OR uri="*image*" OR uri="*getimagesize*") AND status=200 AND user_agent="*"