CVE-2009-4018
The proc_open function in ext/standard/proc_open.c in PHP before 5.2.11 and 5.3.x before 5.3.1 does not enforce the (1)…
- 7.5HighCVSS base score
- 11.3%Exploitation in 30 daysEPSS · top 4.0% of all CVEs
- NoKnown exploitednot in CISA's KEV catalog
- 1Public exploitsMetasploit, Nuclei and Exploit-DB
Description
The proc_open function in ext/standard/proc_open.c in PHP before 5.2.11 and 5.3.x before 5.3.1 does not enforce the (1) safe_mode_allowed_env_vars and (2) safe_mode_protected_env_vars directives, which allows context-dependent attackers to execute programs with an arbitrary environment via the env parameter, as demonstrated by a crafted value of the LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment variable.
Public exploit
An exploit or proof of concept is public: anyone can try it against an unpatched system. The public collections list an Exploit-DB entry for it.
Show the exploits1
Exploit-DB1 entry
- Kolang 4.3.10 < 5.3.0 - 'proc_open()' PHP 'safe_mode' Bypass (Exploit-DB entry) (opens in a new tab)
EDB-ID 11636webapps, phppublished 5 Mar 2010Not verified
Modules, templates and exploits as listed by the Metasploit Framework (BSD-3-Clause), ProjectDiscovery's Nuclei templates (MIT) and the Exploit Database (GPLv2), read once a day. Where the data comes from
Timeline
ID reserved
By redhat
- 7 days later
· 7 days later
Published
- 15 years later
· 15 years later
Record updated
Changes after publication (a new score, a public exploit, EPSS crossing 1, 10 or 50 %, leaving KEV) are kept since November 2026; earlier ones are not known.
Scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVDNVD · Modified | 2.0 | High7.5 | AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P |
- EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)
- 11.3% · top 4.0% of all CVEs (11 Nov 2026)
The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: High 7.5.
Affected products
n/a
- affected n/a
References
References16
- 40262 (opens in a new tab)third-party-advisoryx_refsource_SECUNIAx_transferred
- oval:org.mitre.oval:def:7256 (opens in a new tab)vdb-entrysignaturex_refsource_OVALx_transferred
- HPSBUX02543 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_HPx_transferred
- http://svn.php.net/viewvc/php/php-src/branches/PHP_5_2/ext/standard/proc_open.c?r1=286360&r2=286359&pathrev=286360 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_CONFIRMx_transferred
- [oss-security] 20091123 Re: CVE request: php 5.3.1 - proc_open() bypass PHP Bug #49026 [was: Re: CVE request: php 5.3.1 update] (opens in a new tab)mailing-listx_refsource_MLISTx_transferred
- 41490 (opens in a new tab)third-party-advisoryx_refsource_SECUNIAx_transferred
- [oss-security] 20091123 Re: CVE request: php 5.3.1 - proc_open() bypass PHP Bug #49026 [was: Re: CVE request: php 5.3.1 update] (opens in a new tab)mailing-listx_refsource_MLISTx_transferred
- HPSBMA02568 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_HPx_transferred
- http://www.php.net/ChangeLog-5.php (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_CONFIRMx_transferred
- 37138 (opens in a new tab)vdb-entryx_refsource_BIDx_transferred
- http://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=49026 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_CONFIRMx_transferred
- 41480 (opens in a new tab)third-party-advisoryx_refsource_SECUNIAx_transferred
- [oss-security] 20091122 Re: CVE request: php 5.3.1 update (opens in a new tab)mailing-listx_refsource_MLISTx_transferred
- http://svn.php.net/viewvc/?view=revision&revision=286360 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_CONFIRMx_transferred
- http://svn.php.net/viewvc/php/php-src/branches/PHP_5_3/ext/standard/proc_open.c?r1=286360&r2=286359&pathrev=286360 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_CONFIRMx_transferred
- MDVSA-2009:303 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_MANDRIVAx_transferred
Sources
The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.
- CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
- CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
- NVD (opens in a new tab)
- FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
- EUVD EUVD-2009-3989 (opens in a new tab)
- OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
- GitHub Advisories (opens in a new tab)
- CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)
Badge for a README or a ticket
[](https://cveledger.app/cve/CVE-2009-4018)Record last updated .