high
7.5
CWE
119
Advisory Published
CVE Published
Updated

CVE-2013-6420: Buffer Overflow

First published: Mon Dec 02 2013(Updated: )

Stefan Esser reported a vulnerability in the PHP openssl extension. A memory corruption flaw was found in the way the openssl_x509_parse() function of the PHP openssl extension parsed X.509 certificates. A remote attacker could use this flaw to provide a malicious self-signed certificate or a certificate signed by a trusted authority to a PHP application using the aforementioned function, causing the application to crash or, possibly, allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the user running the PHP interpreter. Acknowledgements: Red Hat would like to thank the PHP project for reporting this issue. Upstream acknowledges Stefan Esser as the original reporter of this issue.

Credit: secalert@redhat.com

Affected SoftwareAffected VersionHow to fix
redhat/php<5.5.7
5.5.7
redhat/php<5.4.23
5.4.23
redhat/php<5.3.28
5.3.28
PHP=5.4.0
PHP=5.4.1
PHP=5.4.2
PHP=5.4.3
PHP=5.4.4
PHP=5.4.5
PHP=5.4.6
PHP=5.4.7
PHP=5.4.8
PHP=5.4.9
PHP=5.4.10
PHP=5.4.11
PHP=5.4.12
PHP=5.4.12-rc1
PHP=5.4.12-rc2
PHP=5.4.13
PHP=5.4.13-rc1
PHP=5.4.14
PHP=5.4.14-rc1
PHP=5.4.15
PHP=5.4.15-rc1
PHP=5.4.16
PHP=5.4.16-rc1
PHP=5.4.17
PHP=5.4.18
PHP=5.4.19
PHP=5.4.20
PHP=5.4.21
PHP=5.4.22
SUSE Linux=11.4
SUSE Linux=12.2
SUSE Linux=12.3
SUSE Linux=13.1
Apple iOS and macOS<=10.9.1
PHP<=5.3.27
PHP=5.3.0
PHP=5.3.1
PHP=5.3.2
PHP=5.3.3
PHP=5.3.4
PHP=5.3.5
PHP=5.3.6
PHP=5.3.7
PHP=5.3.8
PHP=5.3.9
PHP=5.3.10
PHP=5.3.11
PHP=5.3.12
PHP=5.3.13
PHP=5.3.14
PHP=5.3.15
PHP=5.3.16
PHP=5.3.17
PHP=5.3.18
PHP=5.3.19
PHP=5.3.20
PHP=5.3.21
PHP=5.3.22
PHP=5.3.23
PHP=5.3.24
PHP=5.3.25
PHP=5.3.26
PHP=5.5.0
PHP=5.5.0-alpha1
PHP=5.5.0-alpha2
PHP=5.5.0-alpha3
PHP=5.5.0-alpha4
PHP=5.5.0-alpha5
PHP=5.5.0-alpha6
PHP=5.5.0-beta1
PHP=5.5.0-beta2
PHP=5.5.0-beta3
PHP=5.5.0-beta4
PHP=5.5.0-rc1
PHP=5.5.0-rc2
PHP=5.5.1
PHP=5.5.2
PHP=5.5.3
PHP=5.5.4
PHP=5.5.5
PHP=5.5.6

Remedy

http://git.php.net/?p=php-src.git;a=commit;h=c1224573c773b6845e83505f717fbf820fc18415

Remedy

https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1036830

Never miss a vulnerability like this again

Sign up to SecAlerts for real-time vulnerability data matched to your software, aggregated from hundreds of sources.

Read MoreStart Free Trial

Reference Links

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the severity of CVE-2013-6420?

    CVE-2013-6420 has been classified as a high severity vulnerability due to the potential for remote code execution via crafted X.509 certificates.

  • How do I fix CVE-2013-6420?

    To fix CVE-2013-6420, upgrade your PHP installation to version 5.5.7 or later for 5.5.x, 5.4.23 or later for 5.4.x, or 5.3.28 or later for 5.3.x.

  • What versions of PHP are affected by CVE-2013-6420?

    CVE-2013-6420 affects PHP versions 5.3.0 to 5.3.27, 5.4.0 to 5.4.22, and 5.5.0 to 5.5.6.

  • Can CVE-2013-6420 be exploited remotely?

    Yes, CVE-2013-6420 can be exploited by remote attackers through the use of crafted self-signed X.509 certificates.

  • Is there a workaround for CVE-2013-6420?

    There is no effective workaround for CVE-2013-6420; the best mitigation is to update to a patched version of PHP.

Company

Resources

Contact

SecAlerts Pty Ltd.
132 Wickham Terrace
Fortitude Valley,
QLD 4006, Australia
info@secalerts.co
By using SecAlerts services, you agree to our services end-user license agreement. This website is safeguarded by reCAPTCHA and governed by the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. All names, logos, and brands of products are owned by their respective owners, and any usage of these names, logos, and brands for identification purposes only does not imply endorsement. If you possess any content that requires removal, please get in touch with us.
© 2025 SecAlerts Pty Ltd.
ABN: 70 645 966 203, ACN: 645 966 203