Description
The sapi_header_op function in main/SAPI.c in PHP before 5.4.38, 5.5.x before 5.5.22, and 5.6.x before 5.6.6 supports deprecated line folding without considering browser compatibility, which allows remote attackers to conduct cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks against Internet Explorer by leveraging (1) %0A%20 or (2) %0D%0A%20 mishandling in the header function.
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.
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | php7.0 | 7.0.8-0ubuntu0.16.04.2 | USN-3045-1 |
| Ubuntu 14.04 LTS | php5 | 5.5.9+dfsg-1ubuntu4.19 | USN-3045-1 |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 2 | php54 +2 | 2.0-1.el6 | RHSA-2015:1066 |
| RHEL 2 | php54-php +24 | 5.4.40-1.el6 | RHSA-2015:1066 |
| RHEL 2 | php54-php-pecl-zendopcache | 7.0.4-3.el6 | RHSA-2015:1066 |
| RHEL 2 | rh-php56 +2 | 2.3-1.el6 | RHSA-2016:2750 |
| RHEL 2 | rh-php56-php +27 | 5.6.25-1.el6 | RHSA-2016:2750 |
| RHEL 2 | rh-php56-php-pear | 1:1.9.5-4.el6 | RHSA-2016:2750 |
SUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES 12 SP1 | php5 | 5.5.14-68.1 | SUSE-SU-2016:1842-1 |
| SLES 12 | php5 | 5.5.14-68.1 | SUSE-SU-2016:1842-1 |
| SLES 11 SP4 | php53 | 5.3.17-74.1 | SUSE-SU-2016:2013-1 |
| SLES 11 SP2 | php5 | 5.2.14-0.7.30.89.1 | SUSE-SU-2016:2080-1 |
Show 1 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES for SAP 11 SP4 | php53 | 5.3.17-74.1 | SUSE-SU-2016:2013-1 |
Advisories 6
- RHSA-2016:2750 Red Hat Security Advisory: rh-php56 security, bug fix, and enhancement update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Aug 5, 2026
- RHSA-2015:1066 Red Hat Security Advisory: php54 security and bug fix update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 29, 2026
- USN-3045-1 php5, php7.0 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Apr 27, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2016:1842-1 Security update for php5 SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2016:2080-1 Security update for php5 SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · May 2, 2025
- SUSE-SU-2016:2013-1 Security update for php53 SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · May 2, 2025
References
- https://github.com/php/php-src/commit/996faf964bba1aec06b153b370a7f20d3dd2bb8b?w=1
- openSUSE-SU-2016:1761 vendor-advisory
- openSUSE-SU-2016:1922 vendor-advisory
- RHSA-2016:2750 vendor-advisory
- [oss-security] 20160620 CVE request for PHP bug #68978: "XSS in header() with Internet Explorer" (2015) mailing-list
- https://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=68978
- SUSE-SU-2016:2013 vendor-advisory