Description
The tidy_diagnose function in PHP 5.3.8 might allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and application crash) via crafted input to an application that attempts to perform Tidy::diagnose operations on invalid objects, a different vulnerability than CVE-2011-4153.
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 6.0 | php5 | 5.3.3-7+squeeze8 | DSA-2408-1 |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 6 | php +25 | 5.3.3-14.el6_3 | RHSA-2012:1046 |
Public exploits
Exploit or proof-of-concept code for this vulnerability is publicly available, which lowers the bar for attackers. Treat it as a reason to patch sooner.
Exploit-DB 1
- PHP 5.3.8 - Multiple Vulnerabilities EDB-18370 · dos · Jan 14, 2012
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
Advisories 2
- RHSA-2012:1046 Red Hat Security Advisory: php security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 28, 2026
- DSA-2408-1 php5 - several Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
References
- 18370 exploit
- 20120114 PHP 5.3.8 Multiple vulnerabilities mailing-list
- SUSE-SU-2012:0411 vendor-advisory
- openSUSE-SU-2012:0426 vendor-advisory
- 48668 third-party-advisory
- http://cxsecurity.com/research/103