dbcve.org
PHPApplication

CVE-2016-4072

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-05-20
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 10.11.4 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
The Phar extension in PHP before 5.5.34, 5.6.x before 5.6.20, and 7.x before 7.0.5 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted filename, as demonstrated by mishandling of \0 characters by the phar_analyze_path function in ext/phar/phar.c.

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

The Phar extension in PHP mishandles null byte (\0) characters in filenames when processing paths via the phar_analyze_path function in ext/phar/phar.c. This allows remote attackers to bypass filename validation checks and achieve arbitrary code execution by injecting null bytes into crafted filenames.

MitigationUpgrade PHP to version 5.5.34, 5.6.20, or 7.0.5 or later. If immediate upgrading is not feasible, consider disabling the Phar extension or restricting file uploads to prevent untrusted Phar archives from being processed.

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:= 5.6.0= 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
Mac Os XOperating system
Affected:<= 10.11.4

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
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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. Check PHP version
    Run `php -v` or `phpinfo()` to obtain the installed PHP version number
    Affected if Version is 5.6.0 through 5.6.11 (inclusive)
  2. Verify Phar extension is loaded
    Run `php -m` and look for 'phar' in the list of loaded modules, or check phpinfo() for the Phar section
    Affected if The Phar extension appears in the loaded modules list
  3. Identify if the application processes uploaded files
    Review application code or server configuration for file upload handling (look for $_FILES usage, move_uploaded_file calls, or multipart form-data processing)
    Affected if The application accepts file uploads from untrusted sources that could include Phar archives
  4. Check for Phar file processing in application logic
    Search application source code for phar:// stream wrapper usage, phar_readfile, or any code that opens Phar archives from user-controlled paths
    Affected if Code processes Phar archives from paths that could contain null byte injection

You are affected if running PHP 5.6.0-5.6.11 with the Phar extension enabled AND your application processes file uploads or Phar archives from untrusted sources.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 10.11.4
Interim mitigation

Upgrade PHP to version 5.5.34, 5.6.20, or 7.0.5 or later. If immediate upgrading is not feasible, consider disabling the Phar extension or restricting file uploads to prevent untrusted Phar archives from being processed.

Recommended fix High confidence

PHP 5.6.20+ (recommended 5.6.40), PHP 7.0.5+ (recommended 7.0.33 or 7.2+), or PHP 5.5.34+ (5.5 deprecated - migrate to 7.x)

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed PHP version using 'php -v' or 'phpinfo()'
  2. 2. For PHP 5.6.x users: upgrade to PHP 5.6.20 or later (recommended: 5.6.40+ which is the last 5.6 release)
  3. 3. For PHP 7.0.x users: upgrade to PHP 7.0.5 or later (recommended: 7.0.33 which is the last 7.0 release, or migrate to 7.2/7.4/8.x for security support)
  4. 4. For PHP 5.5.x users: upgrade to PHP 5.5.34 or later (recommended: migrate to PHP 7.x as 5.5 is end-of-life)
  5. 5. Verify the upgrade was successful by running 'php -v' and confirming the version is at or above the fixed release
  6. 6. Test that PHP applications using the phar extension function correctly after the upgrade
Caveat Minimal for patch releases within same minor version; ensure compatibility with any custom phar-based applications. PHP 5.5 is end-of-life - consider migrating to PHP 7.x for ongoing security support.

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in PHP Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,740
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,784.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-4072 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2016-4072 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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