CVE-2015-8371: Composer/composer Composer Allows Cache Poisoning From Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-725m-w832-q973
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CVSS 8.8
CWE-345
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2015-8371 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.8) composer allows cache poisoning from vulnerability (CWE-345: Insufficient Verification of Data Authenticity) affecting Composer/composer libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves composer allows cache poisoning from other projects built on the same host. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.0.0.

CVE-2015-8371 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2015-8371
GHSA Identifier GHSA-725m-w832-q973
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.8
CWE Classification CWE-345: Insufficient Verification of Data Authenticity
Affected Product Composer/composer
Package Ecosystem Packagist
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.8

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:R/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 Required (UI:R)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2015-8371

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

composer/composer fixed: 1.0.0 
Upgrade composer/composer to 1.0.0
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 composer/composer

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2015-8371, inspect your project dependencies for Composer/composer:

inspect dependencies for composer/composer

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Composer/composer in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.0.0), 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-345: Insufficient Verification of Data Authenticity, where the product does not sufficiently verify the origin or authenticity of data, in a way that causes it to accept invalid data. In Composer/composer, 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

Composer before 2016-02-10 allows cache poisoning from other projects built on the same host. This results in attacker-controlled code entering a server-side build process. The issue occurs because of the way that dist packages are cached. The cache key is derived from the package name, the dist type, and certain other data from the package repository (which may simply be a commit hash, and thus can be found by an attacker). Versions through 1.0.0-alpha11 are affected, and 1.0.0 is unaffected.

CVE-2015-8371 Affected Composer/composer Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.0.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
composer/composer
 Packagist
< 1.0.0
1.0.0

References

NVD — CVE-2015-8371 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-8371
flyingmana.de/blog_en/2016/02/14/... WEB
https://flyingmana.de/blog_en/2016/02/14/composer_cache_injection_vulnerability_cve_2015_8371.html
Composer/composer Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/FriendsOfPHP/security-advisories/blob/e26be423c5bcfdb38478d2f92d1f928c15afb561/composer/composer/CVE-2015-8371.yaml
Composer/composer Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/FriendsOfPHP/security-advisories/blob/master/composer/composer/CVE-2015-8371.yaml
Composer/composer Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/composer/composer
gitlab.com/gitlab-org/advisori... WEB
https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/advisories-community/-/blob/main/packagist/composer/composer/CVE-2015-8371.yml
flyingmana.de/blog_en/2016/02/14/... WEB
http://flyingmana.de/blog_en/2016/02/14/composer_cache_injection_vulnerability_cve_2015_8371.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2015-8371?
CVE-2015-8371 is a security vulnerability in Composer/composer involving Composer allows cache poisoning from other projects built on the same host under CWE-345: Insufficient Verification of Data Authenticity.
Which Composer/composer versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.0.0 across affected packages: composer/composer.
What version fixes CVE-2015-8371?
Upgrading to 1.0.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is composer/composer affected?
Yes, composer/composer is affected in releases prior to 1.0.0. Upgrade your dependency to 1.0.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2015-8371?
CVE-2015-8371 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2015-8371?
CVE-2015-8371 is classified under CWE-345: Insufficient Verification of Data Authenticity (The product does not sufficiently verify the origin or authenticity of data, in a way that causes it to accept invalid data.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2015-8371?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for composer/composer'. 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-725m-w832-q973",
  "modified" : "2023-09-29T18:33:22Z",
  "published" : "2023-09-21T06:30:25Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2015-8371" ],
  "summary" : "Composer allows cache poisoning from other projects built on the same host",
  "details" : "Composer before 2016-02-10 allows cache poisoning from other projects built on the same host. This results in attacker-controlled code entering a server-side build process. The issue occurs because of the way that dist packages are cached. The cache key is derived from the package name, the dist type, and certain other data from the package repository (which may simply be a commit hash, and thus can be found by an attacker). Versions through 1.0.0-alpha11 are affected, and 1.0.0 is unaffected.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "composer/composer"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.0.0"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 1.0.0-alpha11"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-8371"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://flyingmana.de/blog_en/2016/02/14/composer_cache_injection_vulnerability_cve_2015_8371.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/FriendsOfPHP/security-advisories/blob/e26be423c5bcfdb38478d2f92d1f928c15afb561/composer/composer/CVE-2015-8371.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/FriendsOfPHP/security-advisories/blob/master/composer/composer/CVE-2015-8371.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/composer/composer"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/advisories-community/-/blob/main/packagist/composer/composer/CVE-2015-8371.yml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://flyingmana.de/blog_en/2016/02/14/composer_cache_injection_vulnerability_cve_2015_8371.html"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-345" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-09-21T17:20:59Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-09-21T06:15:11Z"
  }
}