CVE-2011-1028: Smarty/smarty Smarty3 Arbitrary PHP Code Execution Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-6frx-2r5w-c524
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-20
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2011-1028 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) smarty3 arbitrary php code execution vulnerability (CWE-20: Improper Input Validation) affecting Smarty/smarty libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves smarty3 arbitrary php code execution. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.0.7.

CVE-2011-1028 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2011-1028
GHSA Identifier GHSA-6frx-2r5w-c524
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-20: Improper Input Validation
Affected Product Smarty/smarty
Package Ecosystem Packagist
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2011-1028

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Smarty/smarty dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

smarty/smarty fixed: 3.0.7 
Upgrade smarty/smarty to 3.0.7
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

inspect dependencies for smarty/smarty

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2011-1028, inspect your project dependencies for Smarty/smarty:

inspect dependencies for smarty/smarty

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Smarty/smarty in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.0.7), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-20: Improper Input Validation, where the product receives input or data, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates that the input has the properties that are required to process the data safely and correctly. In Smarty/smarty, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

The `$smarty.template` variable in Smarty3 allows attackers to possibly execute arbitrary PHP code via the `sysplugins/smarty_internal_compile_private_special_variable.php` file.

CVE-2011-1028 Affected Smarty/smarty Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.0.7
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
smarty/smarty
 Packagist
< 3.0.7
3.0.7

References

NVD — CVE-2011-1028 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2011-1028
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/smarty-php/smarty/commit/0154f17de2b2dd16ff9c016923015ac19af9c0cb
Smarty/smarty Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/smarty-php/smarty
seclists.org/oss-sec/2011/q1/313 WEB
https://seclists.org/oss-sec/2011/q1/313
Smarty/smarty Security Information SECURITY
https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2011-1028
web.archive.org/web/20110609032516/... WEB
https://web.archive.org/web/20110609032516/http://smarty-php.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/distribution/change_log.txt
www.smarty.net/forums/viewtopic.ph... WEB
https://www.smarty.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=18815

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2011-1028?
CVE-2011-1028 is a security vulnerability in Smarty/smarty involving Smarty3 Arbitrary PHP Code Execution under CWE-20: Improper Input Validation.
Which Smarty/smarty versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.0.7 across affected packages: smarty/smarty.
What version fixes CVE-2011-1028?
Upgrading to 3.0.7 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is smarty/smarty affected?
Yes, smarty/smarty is affected in releases prior to 3.0.7. Upgrade your dependency to 3.0.7 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2011-1028?
CVE-2011-1028 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2011-1028?
CVE-2011-1028 is classified under CWE-20: Improper Input Validation (The product receives input or data, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates that the input has the properties that are required to process the data safely and correctly.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2011-1028?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for smarty/smarty'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-6frx-2r5w-c524",
  "modified" : "2024-01-12T22:38:45Z",
  "published" : "2022-04-22T00:24:15Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2011-1028" ],
  "summary" : "Smarty3 Arbitrary PHP Code Execution",
  "details" : "The `$smarty.template` variable in Smarty3 allows attackers to possibly execute arbitrary PHP code via the `sysplugins/smarty_internal_compile_private_special_variable.php` file.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "smarty/smarty"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.0.7"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2011-1028"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/smarty-php/smarty/commit/0154f17de2b2dd16ff9c016923015ac19af9c0cb"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/smarty-php/smarty"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://seclists.org/oss-sec/2011/q1/313"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2011-1028"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20110609032516/http://smarty-php.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/distribution/change_log.txt"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.smarty.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=18815"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-20" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-01-12T22:38:45Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2019-11-20T15:15:00Z"
  }
}