PHPApplication
CVE-2026-6722
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 PHP versions 8.2.* before 8.2.31, 8.3.* before 8.3.31, 8.4.* before 8.4.21, and 8.5.* before 8.5.6, the SOAP extension's object deduplication mechanism stores pointers to PHP objects in a global map without incrementing their reference counts. When an apache:Map node contains duplicate keys, processing the second entry overwrites the first in the temporary result map, freeing the original PHP object while its stale pointer remains in the map. A subsequent href reference to the freed node can copy the dangling pointer into the result. As PHP string allocations can reclaim the freed memory region, an attacker with control over the SOAP request body can exploit this use-after-free to achieve remote code execution.
In the news
Third-party coverageSurfaced from public web coverage — external links open in a new tab.
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 use-after-free vulnerability in PHP's SOAP extension object deduplication mechanism allows attackers to achieve RCE. The bug occurs because pointers to PHP objects are stored in a global map without incrementing reference counts; when duplicate keys exist in an apache:Map node, processing overwrites the first entry, freeing the object while its stale pointer remains. Subsequent href references can copy the dangling pointer, and because PHP string allocations can reclaim the freed memory, an attacker controlling the SOAP request body can manipulate memory and achieve code execution.
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
>= 8.2.0, < 8.2.31>= 8.3.0, < 8.3.31>= 8.4.0, < 8.4.21>= 8.5.0, < 8.5.6CVSS 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:3.1/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Determine installed PHP versionRun 'php -v' or 'phpinfo()' to obtain the PHP version numberAffected if The version falls within >= 8.2.0 < 8.2.31, >= 8.3.0 < 8.3.31, >= 8.4.0 < 8.4.21, or >= 8.5.0 < 8.5.6
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Verify SOAP extension is loadedRun 'php -m' or check phpinfo() output for the 'soap' moduleAffected if The SOAP extension is enabled in the PHP environment
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Check for SOAP client or server usageSearch codebase for 'new SoapClient', 'new SoapServer', or 'soap.wsdl_cache_enabled' configurationAffected if The application uses PHP SOAP functions to process XML containing apache:Map nodes
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Inspect SOAP request handling for duplicate keysReview SOAP request processing code or capture network traffic to examine XML payloads for apache:Map elements with duplicate key attributesAffected if The environment processes SOAP requests containing XML with apache:Map nodes that have duplicate key values
You are affected if your PHP version is within the affected ranges AND the SOAP extension is enabled AND your application processes SOAP XML containing apache:Map nodes with duplicate keys.
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 · scoped8.2.318.3.318.4.21
Upgrade PHP to version 8.2.31+, 8.3.31+, 8.4.21+, or 8.5.6+ to patch the SOAP extension vulnerability. If the SOAP extension is not required in production, disable it as an additional defense-in-depth measure.
PHP 8.2.31+ / 8.3.31+ / 8.4.21+ / 8.5.6+ (upgrade to the latest patch version in your current major.minor branch)
- Identify your current PHP version using 'php -v'
- For PHP 8.2.x: Upgrade to PHP 8.2.31 or later (e.g., 8.2.31, 8.2.32)
- For PHP 8.3.x: Upgrade to PHP 8.3.31 or later (e.g., 8.3.31, 8.3.32)
- For PHP 8.4.x: Upgrade to PHP 8.4.21 or later (e.g., 8.4.21, 8.4.22)
- For PHP 8.5.x: Upgrade to PHP 8.5.6 or later (e.g., 8.5.6, 8.5.7)
- Use your system's package manager to upgrade (e.g., 'apt update && apt upgrade php8.3', 'yum update php', or 'pecl upgrade php')
- Restart any running PHP-FPM or Apache processes after upgrade
- Verify the fix by running 'php -v' and confirming the version is at or above the appropriate fixed release
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in PHP
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-6722 — 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-2026-6722 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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