published September 12, 2016
⚠️ An invalid ISO 8601 time value is the ticket to a segmentation fault! Even though the severity is unknown, this bug in PHP can lead to a denial of service. 😱 Think of the php_wddx_process_data function as a scheduled train that derails whenever the wrong time is inputted — just like a train can't run on a non-existent schedule, this function trips up when it encounters an invalid date format. If an attacker crafts a malicious WDDX packet with an incorrect date and sends it your way, it could cause a segmentation fault, crashing the process. This means your applications might go down, leaving your users stranded at the station — not a great look!
Think of the php_wddx_process_data function as a scheduled train that derails whenever the wrong time is inputted — just like a train can't run on a non-existent schedule, this function trips up when it encounters an invalid date format. This vulnerability arises from mishandling dateTime elements in a WDDX packet XML document within the php_wddx_process_data function, leading to a denial of service when invalid time values are processed.
If an attacker crafts a malicious WDDX packet with an incorrect date and sends it your way, it could cause a segmentation fault, crashing the process. This means your applications might go down, leaving your users stranded at the station — not a great look! To mitigate this issue, upgrade your PHP version to 5.6.25 or later, or 7.0.10 or later to ensure you're protected against this flaw. Additionally, consider implementing input validation to catch any malformed date formats before they reach your application. You've got this! Follow these steps and keep your applications on track! 🛡️