CVE-2018-19396 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

PHP versions 5.x through 7.1.24 are vulnerable to a denial of service attack, leading to application crash when calling the unserialize function for the com, dotnet, or variant class.

Understanding CVE-2018-19396

This CVE identifies a vulnerability in PHP versions 5.x through 7.1.24 that can be exploited to cause a denial of service attack.

What is CVE-2018-19396?

This CVE pertains to a flaw in PHP that allows attackers to crash applications by triggering a specific unserialize call.

The Impact of CVE-2018-19396

The vulnerability can lead to a denial of service condition, causing affected applications to crash.

Technical Details of CVE-2018-19396

PHP versions 5.x through 7.1.24 are susceptible to a specific type of denial of service attack.

Vulnerability Description

The issue lies in ext/standard/var_unserializer.c, enabling attackers to crash applications through malicious unserialize calls.

Affected Systems and Versions

PHP versions 5.x through 7.1.24

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by invoking the unserialize function for the com, dotnet, or variant class.

Mitigation and Prevention

To address CVE-2018-19396, follow these steps:

Immediate Steps to Take

Update PHP to a non-vulnerable version.
Implement proper input validation to prevent malicious input.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly monitor PHP security advisories.
Conduct security assessments to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities.

Patching and Updates

Apply patches provided by PHP to fix the vulnerability.