PHPApplication
CVE-2015-7803
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 · uneditedThe phar_get_entry_data function in ext/phar/util.c in PHP before 5.5.30 and 5.6.x before 5.6.14 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and application crash) via a .phar file with a crafted TAR archive entry in which the Link indicator references a file that does not exist.
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 confidenceA NULL pointer dereference vulnerability exists in PHP's phar extension (phar_get_entry_data function in ext/phar/util.c). When processing a specially crafted .phar file containing a TAR archive, the function fails to properly handle a Link indicator that references a non-existent file, causing the application to crash.
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
<= 5.5.29= 5.6.1= 5.6.2= 5.6.3= 5.6.4= 5.6.5= 5.6.6= 5.6.7= 5.6.8= 5.6.9= 5.6.10= 5.6.11<= 10.11.1CVSS 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
- M
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:M/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check installed PHP versionRun 'php -v' from command line to display the PHP version numberAffected if The version is 5.5.29 or lower, OR it is exactly 5.6.1 through 5.6.11 (any of those nine versions)
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Verify phar extension is loadedRun 'php -m' and look for 'phar' in the list of loaded modules, or run 'php -i | grep -i phar'Affected if The phar extension is enabled (required for the vulnerability to be exploitable)
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Check Mac OS X system PHP version (if applicable)On Mac systems, run 'php -v' or check System Preferences > About for the OS version. The system ships with PHP bundled.Affected if Running Mac OS X 10.11.1 or earlier, which includes a vulnerable bundled PHP version
You are affected if your PHP version falls within the <=5.5.29 or 5.6.1-5.6.11 range AND the phar extension is enabled, or if you are on Mac OS X 10.11.1 or earlier with the system PHP in use.
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.
From vendor dataUpgrade PHP to version 5.5.30, 5.6.14, or later. If immediate upgrading is not feasible, consider disabling the phar extension or implementing file upload validation to reject .phar files from untrusted sources.
Fix this in PHP
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,144.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-7803 — 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-2015-7803 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
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