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PHPApplication

CVE-2007-0455

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v2.0 Published 2007-01-30
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.4.7 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Buffer overflow in the gdImageStringFTEx function in gdft.c in GD Graphics Library 2.0.33 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via a crafted string with a JIS encoded font.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Buffer overflow vulnerability in the gdImageStringFTEx function in gdft.c within GD Graphics Library 2.0.33 and earlier. The flaw occurs when processing crafted strings with JIS-encoded fonts, allowing remote attackers to potentially crash the application or execute arbitrary code via overflow.

MitigationUpgrade to GD Graphics Library version 2.0.34 or later, which contains the patch for this vulnerability. If upgrading is not feasible, implement input validation to restrict string length when processing JIS-encoded fonts.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
PHPApplication
Affected:>= 4.4.0, < 4.4.7
Ubuntu LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 6.06= 6.10= 7.04
FedoraOperating system
Affected:= 13= 14
Enterprise Linux DesktopOperating system
Affected:= 3.0= 4.0
Enterprise Linux ServerOperating system
Affected:= 3.0= 4.0
Enterprise Linux WorkstationOperating system
Affected:= 3.0= 4.0
Gd Graphics LibraryApplication
Affected:<= 2.0.33

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Partial
Integrity
Partial
Availability
Partial

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify GD library version
    For PHP, run phpinfo() or 'php -i' and look for the GD section showing bundled library version. For standalone GD, check the library file version with 'gdlib-config --version' or examine the shared object file with 'file libgd.so' or check RPM/Deb package version.
    Affected if version is 2.0.33 or earlier, or for PHP specifically version 4.4.0 through 4.4.6 (less than 4.4.7)
  2. Verify FreeType support is enabled
    In the PHP GD info, look for 'FreeType' or 'freetype' support. The vulnerable function gdImageStringFTEx is a FreeType-related function, so GD must be compiled with FreeType support for this flaw to apply.
    Affected if FreeType support is enabled in the GD build
  3. Check for gdImageStringFTEx usage
    Search application source code for calls to gdImageStringFTEx function. This function is the entry point for the vulnerability. Review code for patterns like 'gdImageStringFTEx' in PHP extensions or C applications using GD.
    Affected if the application code calls gdImageStringFTEx to render text with fonts
  4. Identify font encoding in use
    Examine font files and font handling code to determine if JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard) encoded fonts are being loaded or processed. Check font path configurations and any font loading code that specifies encoding.
    Affected if JIS-encoded Japanese fonts are being processed through gdImageStringFTEx
  5. Verify OS package version (if using system packages)
    For Ubuntu, run 'dpkg -l | grep libgd2' or check installed php-gd package version. For Fedora/RHEL, run 'rpm -q gd' or 'rpm -q php-gd'. Compare against known vulnerable versions: Ubuntu 6.06/6.10/7.04, Fedora 13/14, RHEL 3.0/4.0.
    Affected if the installed package version matches one of the known vulnerable OS releases

You are affected if your GD library version is 2.0.33 or earlier (or PHP 4.4.0-4.4.6), FreeType support is enabled, and your application uses gdImageStringFTEx to process JIS-encoded fonts.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to 4.4.7 or later
Fixed in 4.4.7
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to GD Graphics Library version 2.0.34 or later, which contains the patch for this vulnerability. If upgrading is not feasible, implement input validation to restrict string length when processing JIS-encoded fonts.

Fix this in PHP Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
24.0 hours of engineering $4,200
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,720.

Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2007-0455 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data