CVE-2021-25764
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 · uneditedIn JetBrains PhpStorm before 2020.3, source code could be added to debug logs.
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 · moderate confidenceIn JetBrains PhpStorm versions before 2020.3, an information disclosure vulnerability existed where source code could be inadvertently added to debug logs. This could expose sensitive source code contents through log files generated by the IDE.
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< 2020.3CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
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 PhpStorm versionOpen PhpStorm and go to Help > About, or check the version displayed on the welcome screen. Alternatively, check the installation directory for version metadata files.Affected if The installed version is any release before 2020.3 (e.g., 2020.2, 2020.1, etc.)
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Verify debug logging is enabledIn PhpStorm, navigate to Settings > Build, Execution, Deployment > Debugger and check if the option to write debug logs to file is enabled. Also check Settings > Editor > General > Debugger for any logging options.Affected if Debug logging to file is turned ON - this is the condition that enables the flaw to manifest
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Locate debug log filesCheck the default log directory: on Windows typically %USERPROFILE%\.PhpStorm\system\logs\, on macOS ~/Library/Logs/PhpStorm/, on Linux ~/.PhpStorm/config/logs/. Look for files with 'debug' or 'idea' in the name.Affected if Debug log files exist in the standard log directories - the vulnerability manifests through these files
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Inspect log files for source code contentOpen the most recent debug log files and search for file extensions like .php, .phtml, or look for recognizable PHP function definitions, class declarations, or code snippets that appear within the log entries.Affected if The log files contain any PHP source code snippets, function definitions, class declarations, or other source code fragments - this indicates the vulnerability was triggered
The environment is affected if PhpStorm version is before 2020.3 AND debug logging is enabled, as this combination allows source code to be written to debug log files.
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 data2020.3
Upgrade JetBrains PhpStorm to version 2020.3 or later to remediate this vulnerability. Review existing debug log files for any inadvertently logged source code.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 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 $1,200.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-25764 — 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-2021-25764 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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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.
- 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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