Vulnerability Monitor

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CVE-2015-8866

ext/libxml/libxml.c in PHP before 5.5.22 and 5.6.x before 5.6.6, when PHP-FPM is used, does not isolate each thread from libxml_disable_entity_loader changes in other threads, which allows remote attackers to conduct XML External Entity (XXE) and XML Entity Expansion (XEE) attacks via a crafted XML document, a related issue to CVE-2015-5161.

Security Impact Summary

This vulnerability carries a CRITICAL severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 9.6, indicating it can be exploited remotely over the network with relatively low complexity though user interaction is required and does not require pre-existing privileges . The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (data exposure), integrity (unauthorized modifications), and availability (service disruption) for affected systems. Impacting 6 products from php, from canonical, from opensuse and 3 others, organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.

Historical Context

First disclosed in 2016, this vulnerability was reported during a period defined by widespread IoT adoption challenges, mobile security concerns, and the emergence of advanced persistent threat (APT) techniques. Contemporary mitigation strategies focused on secure development practices and third-party component vetting.

Published

2016-05-22T01:59:05.727

Last Modified

2025-04-12T10:46:40.837

Status

Deferred

Source

[email protected]

Severity

CVSSv3.1: 9.6 (CRITICAL)

CVSSv2 Vector

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P

Access Vector: NETWORK
Access Complexity: MEDIUM
Authentication: NONE
Confidentiality Impact: PARTIAL
Integrity Impact: PARTIAL
Availability Impact: PARTIAL

Exploitability Score

8.6

Impact Score

6.4

Weaknesses

Type: Primary
CWE-611

Affected Vendors & Products

Type	Vendor	Product	Version/Range	Vulnerable?
Application	php	php	< 5.5.22	Yes
Application	php	php	< 5.6.6	Yes
Application	php	php	< 7.0.27	Yes
Application	php	php	< 7.1.13	Yes
Application	php	php	< 7.2.1	Yes
Operating System	canonical	ubuntu_linux	12.04	Yes
Operating System	canonical	ubuntu_linux	14.04	Yes
Operating System	canonical	ubuntu_linux	15.10	Yes
Operating System	opensuse	leap	42.1	Yes
Operating System	opensuse	opensuse	13.2	Yes
Operating System	suse	linux_enterprise_module_for_web_scripting	12	Yes
Operating System	suse	linux_enterprise_software_development_kit	12	Yes
Operating System	suse	linux_enterprise_software_development_kit	12	Yes

References

http://git.php.net/?p=php-src.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=de31324c221c1791b26350ba106cc26bad23ace9 ([email protected])
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2016-05/msg00031.html Mailing List, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2016-05/msg00033.html Mailing List, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2016-05/msg00056.html Mailing List, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-2750.html Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/04/24/1 Mailing List, Patch, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
http://www.php.net/ChangeLog-5.php Release Notes, Vendor Advisory ([email protected])
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/87470 Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry ([email protected])
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-2952-1 Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-2952-2 Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/php5/+bug/1509817 Issue Tracking, Patch, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=64938 Exploit, Issue Tracking, Patch, Vendor Advisory ([email protected])
http://git.php.net/?p=php-src.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=de31324c221c1791b26350ba106cc26bad23ace9 (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2016-05/msg00031.html Mailing List, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2016-05/msg00033.html Mailing List, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2016-05/msg00056.html Mailing List, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-2750.html Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/04/24/1 Mailing List, Patch, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.php.net/ChangeLog-5.php Release Notes, Vendor Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/87470 Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-2952-1 Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-2952-2 Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/php5/+bug/1509817 Issue Tracking, Patch, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=64938 Exploit, Issue Tracking, Patch, Vendor Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)

How SecUtils Interprets This CVE

SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For php's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.