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NVD / CVE Program· CNA redhat

CVE-2012-2336: sapi/cgi/cgi_main.c in PHP before 5.3.13 and 5.4.x before 5.4.3, when configured as a CGI script (aka php-cgi), does not properly handle…

MediumCVSS 5.0 · v2.0—Proof of concept Fix available

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 36/100)

  • Public proof-of-concept code exists (Exploit-DB); there is no record of exploitation in the wild.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 52% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 98.9% of all records.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • Fixed version: php (Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstation) 0:5.1.6-39.el5_8; php-bcmath (Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstation) 0:5.1.6-39.el5_8; php-cli (Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstation) 0:5.1.6-39.el5_8.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to php (Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstation) 0:5.1.6-39.el5_8; php-bcmath (Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstation) 0:5.1.6-39.el5_8; php-cli (Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstation) 0:5.1.6-39.el5_8 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

sapi/cgi/cgi_main.c in PHP before 5.3.13 and 5.4.x before 5.4.3, when configured as a CGI script (aka php-cgi), does not properly handle query strings that lack an = (equals sign) character, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (resource consumption) by placing command-line options in the query string, related to lack of skipping a certain php_getopt for the 'T' case. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2012-1823.

Published
May 11, 2012
Updated
Jun 16, 2026
EPSS
52.0% · 98th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

36

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
20 / 40 · 5.0 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
16 / 30 · 52.0%

Get told when this record changes

  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • Proof of concept exists, no weaponized module
  • A fix has been released

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

Follow CVE-2012-2336

When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
phpphp

Using php? Add it to your stack and be the first to know about CVEs like this one. (PHP)

Watch new CVEs for php

When you'll hear from us

  • when a new CVE affecting this product is published
  • when a record in your stack enters KEV or is weaponized

One daily email digest (06:00 UTC); connect a webhook for KEV listings and weaponized exploits every 10 minutes on paid plans, on the hour on the free plan.

Your free account also gets you

  • CVE alerts: add the products and versions you run, get the new CVEs that affect them
  • Uptime monitoring: 1 site, instant email when it goes down
  • Add your domain: subdomains and takeover risk scanned every week (1 domain)
  • 10 scans an hour on the security tools, at most 30 a day (3 a day without an account), an API key and MCP
  • All your scans in one panel: findings, what changed in the last scan, a report per domain or per client (PDF, share link)
All free tools

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Free account, no card. Unfollow any time.

Don't want an account? Get "Exploited this week" by email every Monday

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • php phpup to 5.3.12 inclusive
  • php php1.0
  • php php2.0
  • php php2.0b10
  • php php3.0
  • php php3.0.1
  • php php3.0.10
  • php php3.0.11
+12 more rows
  • php php3.0.12
  • php php3.0.13
  • php php3.0.14
  • php php3.0.15
  • php php3.0.16
  • php php3.0.17
  • php php3.0.18
  • php php3.0.2
  • php php3.0.3
  • php php3.0.4
  • php php3.0.5
  • php php3.0.6

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstationphpbefore 0:5.1.6-39.el5_80:5.1.6-39.el5_8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstationphp-bcmathbefore 0:5.1.6-39.el5_80:5.1.6-39.el5_8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstationphp-clibefore 0:5.1.6-39.el5_80:5.1.6-39.el5_8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstationphp-commonbefore 0:5.1.6-39.el5_80:5.1.6-39.el5_8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstationphp-dbabefore 0:5.1.6-39.el5_80:5.1.6-39.el5_8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstationphp-debuginfobefore 0:5.1.6-39.el5_80:5.1.6-39.el5_8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstationphp-develbefore 0:5.1.6-39.el5_80:5.1.6-39.el5_8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstationphp-gdbefore 0:5.1.6-39.el5_80:5.1.6-39.el5_8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstationphp-imapbefore 0:5.1.6-39.el5_80:5.1.6-39.el5_8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstationphp-ldapbefore 0:5.1.6-39.el5_80:5.1.6-39.el5_8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstationphp-mbstringbefore 0:5.1.6-39.el5_80:5.1.6-39.el5_8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstationphp-mysqlbefore 0:5.1.6-39.el5_80:5.1.6-39.el5_8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstationphp-ncursesbefore 0:5.1.6-39.el5_80:5.1.6-39.el5_8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstationphp-odbcbefore 0:5.1.6-39.el5_80:5.1.6-39.el5_8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstationphp-pdobefore 0:5.1.6-39.el5_80:5.1.6-39.el5_8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstationphp-pgsqlbefore 0:5.1.6-39.el5_80:5.1.6-39.el5_8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstationphp-snmpbefore 0:5.1.6-39.el5_80:5.1.6-39.el5_8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstationphp-soapbefore 0:5.1.6-39.el5_80:5.1.6-39.el5_8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstationphp-xmlbefore 0:5.1.6-39.el5_80:5.1.6-39.el5_8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstationphp-xmlrpcbefore 0:5.1.6-39.el5_80:5.1.6-39.el5_8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstationphp53before 0:5.3.3-13.el5_80:5.3.3-13.el5_8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstationphp53-bcmathbefore 0:5.3.3-13.el5_80:5.3.3-13.el5_8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstationphp53-clibefore 0:5.3.3-13.el5_80:5.3.3-13.el5_8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstationphp53-commonbefore 0:5.3.3-13.el5_80:5.3.3-13.el5_8

+45

Same product

php: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2024-4577Argument Injection in PHP-CGIKEV
    99Now
  • CVE-2019-11043Underflow in PHP-FPM can lead to RCEKEV
    99Now
  • CVE-2012-1823sapi/cgi/cgi_main.c in PHP before 5.3.12 and 5.4.x before 5.4.2, when configured as a CGI script (aka php-cgi), does not properly handle…KEV
    99Now

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2012-2329May 11, 2012 · Buffer overflow in the apache_request_headers function in sapi/cgi/cgi_main.c in PHP 5.4.x before 5.4.3 allows remote attackers to cause a…
    40Plan
  • ← EarlierCVE-2012-2335May 11, 2012 · php-wrapper.fcgi does not properly handle command-line arguments, which allows remote attackers to bypass a protection mechanism in PHP 5.3.
    40Plan
  • Later →CVE-2012-2376May 21, 2012 · Buffer overflow in the com_print_typeinfo function in PHP 5.4.3 and earlier on Windows allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code…
    46Plan

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
red hat:php0:5.1.6-39.el5_8 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstationPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:php-bcmath0:5.1.6-39.el5_8 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstationPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:php-cli0:5.1.6-39.el5_8 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstationPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:php-common0:5.1.6-39.el5_8 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstationPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:php-dba0:5.1.6-39.el5_8 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstationPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:php-debuginfo0:5.1.6-39.el5_8 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstationPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:php-devel0:5.1.6-39.el5_8 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstationPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:php-gd0:5.1.6-39.el5_8 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstationPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:php-imap0:5.1.6-39.el5_8 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstationPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:php-ldap0:5.1.6-39.el5_8 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstationPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:php-mbstring0:5.1.6-39.el5_8 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstationPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:php-mysql0:5.1.6-39.el5_8 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstationPackage registry (OSV)

Exploit status

Proof of concept available

A public proof of concept or detection signature exists. Exploit knowledge is out there; don't delay patching.

Evidence

  • Exploit-DB entry ×4

Noroxi does not host or link to exploit code. Metasploit module names and Nuclei template ids are shown (names, not code); Exploit-DB entries and PoC repositories are given as counts only.

Public exploit evidence
SourceKindDate
Exploit-DB entryremote2013-10-29
Exploit-DB entryremote2013-10-31
Exploit-DB entryremote2012-05-04
Exploit-DB entryremote2012-05-05

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

  1. First PoC-7 d
  2. Published
  3. TodayNov 15, 2026+5301 d
EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Not on record for this CVE: patch commit or PR link · researcher credit · variant or chain candidate · public bounty program.

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
none
Integrity
none
Availability
P · the service can be disrupted
Attack complexity
Low
Confidentiality impact
None
Integrity impact
None
Availability impact
P

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-20 · Improper Input Validation

CVSS vector

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

nvd-primary

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

References

Show all references (7 more)

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records