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No exploitation reportedFix available

CVE-2023-3823

No exploitation reported by the sources we read.

  • Published2023-08-11
  • Fixed in8.2.9 · 8.1.22 · 8.0.30
  • WeaknessCWE-611

Am I affected?

With a domain, we read the version its public headers and pages expose. A distribution build can carry the fix under an older number.

Description

In PHP versions 8.0.* before 8.0.30, 8.1.* before 8.1.22, and 8.2.* before 8.2.8 various XML functions rely on libxml global state to track configuration variables, like whether external entities are loaded. This state is assumed to be unchanged unless the user explicitly changes it by calling appropriate function. However, since the state is process-global, other modules - such as ImageMagick - may also use this library within the same process, and change that global state for their internal purposes, and leave it in a state where external entities loading is enabled. This can lead to the situation where external XML is parsed with external entities loaded, which can lead to disclosure of any local files accessible to PHP. This vulnerable state may persist in the same process across many requests, until the process is shut down.

Timeline

dates in UTC
  1. 2023-08-1106:15CVE publishedNVD

Versions per branch

NVD · OSV
PHP
BranchAffectedFixed in
8.2≥ 8.2.0, < 8.2.98.2.9
8.1≥ 8.1.0, < 8.1.228.1.22
8.0≥ 8.0.0, < 8.0.308.0.30
Debian debian linux
BranchAffectedFixed in
10.0= 10.0no fix published
Fedoraproject fedora
BranchAffectedFixed in
38.x= 38no fix published

as publishedRanges as NVD and OSV publish them; a distribution’s build can be fixed under an older number.

Distribution builds and vendor advisories

Packages from OSV.dev and products from the vendors' CSAF advisories.

version not verifiedVersions not verified: read as OSV.dev and the vendors publish them, not checked against each vendor's release list.

Packages

  • libzipRocky Linux:8all versions · fixed in 0:1.7.3-1.module+el8.6.0+790+fc63e43f
  • libzipRocky Linux:8all versions · fixed in 0:1.6.1-1.module+el8.10.0+1604+6558efc7
  • libzipRed Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreamall versions · fixed in 0:1.7.3-1.module+el8.6.0+13671+84712317and 5 other packages
  • libzipRed Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreamall versions · fixed in 0:1.6.1-1.module+el8.10.0+22485+a3539972and 5 other packages
  • libzipAlmaLinux:8all versions · fixed in 1.6.1-1.module_el8.10.0+3935+28808425and 2 other packages
  • libzipAlmaLinux:8all versions · fixed in 1.6.1-1.module_el8.6.0+2750+78feabcband 1 other package
  • libzipAlmaLinux:8all versions · fixed in 1.6.1-1.module_el8.6.0+3239+bedf0508and 2 other packages
  • libzipAlmaLinux:8all versions · fixed in 1.7.3-1.module_el8.6.0+2739+efabdb8fand 2 other packages

121 more package ranges on OSV.dev

Vendor advisories

  • CVE-2023-3823 Red Hat Product Security1,045 products fixed · 30 known affected

    php: XML loading external entity without being enabled

    rh-php73-php as a component of Red Hat Software Collections · rh-php73-php-bcmath as a component of Red Hat Software Collections · rh-php73-php-cli as a component of Red Hat Software Collections · +27 more

  • RHSA-2024:10952 Red Hat Product Security301 products fixed

    Red Hat Security Advisory: php:7.4 security update

  • RHSA-2024:0387 Red Hat Product Security258 products fixed

    Red Hat Security Advisory: php:8.1 security update

  • RHSA-2023:5927 Red Hat Product Security285 products fixed

    Red Hat Security Advisory: php:8.0 security update

  • RHSA-2023:5926 Red Hat Product Security201 products fixed

    Red Hat Security Advisory: php security update

Full record on NVD

Fix

  1. Update PHP to 8.2.9 · 8.1.22 · 8.0.30
  2. Vendor fix Red Hat Product Security RHSA-2024:10952 · 301 productsFor details on how to apply this update, which includes the changes described in this advisory, refer to: https://access.redhat.com/articles/11258
  3. Vendor fix Red Hat Product Security RHSA-2024:0387 · 258 productsFor details on how to apply this update, which includes the changes described in this advisory, refer to: https://access.redhat.com/articles/11258 After installing the updated packages, the httpd daemon must be restarted for the update to take effect.
  4. Workaround from the vendor Red Hat Product Security RHSA-2024:10952 · 301 productsTo avoid XML external entity attacks, either disable external entity loading if it's not necessary for your application or change the default external entity loader by using `libxml_set_external_entity_loader`. This can be used to suppress the expansion of arbitrary external entities. For PHP versi…
  5. No fix planned, says the vendor Red Hat Product Security CVE-2023-3823 · 30 productsWill not fix

Detection

Nuclei template
none so far
ProjectDiscovery
Exploit-DB
no entry
Exploit-DB
Proof of concept
Metasploit modules
none listed
Metasploit Framework

Sources

Identifiers

Technical details

CVSS v3 Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Published
2023-08-11
Last Modified
2026-06-17
NVD status
Modified
GitHub Advisory
GHSA-3qrf-m4j2-pcrr

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2023-3823?

In PHP versions 8.0.* before 8.0.30, 8.1.* before 8.1.22, and 8.2.* before 8.2.8 various XML functions rely on libxml global state to track configuration variables, like whether external entities are loaded. This state is assumed to be unchanged unless the user explicitly changes it by calling appropriate function. However, since the state is process-global, other modules - such as ImageMagick - may also use this library within the same process, and change that global state for their internal purposes, and leave it in a state where external entities loading is enabled. This can lead to the situation where external XML is parsed with external entities loaded, which can lead to disclosure of any local files accessible to PHP. This vulnerable state may persist in the same process across many requests, until the process is shut down.

Is CVE-2023-3823 actively exploited?

Active exploitation of CVE-2023-3823 has not been confirmed. Its EPSS score was 1.6% on 2026-11-09, the estimated probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2023-3823?

CVE-2023-3823 has a CVSS v3 base score of 7.5 (HIGH severity), with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.

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