CVE-2019-18889: Symfony/cache Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-79gr-58r3-pwm3
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-94
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2019-18889 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')) affecting Symfony/cache libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves symfony unsafe cache serialization could enable rce. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.4.35, 4.2.12, 4.3.8.

CVE-2019-18889 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2019-18889
GHSA Identifier GHSA-79gr-58r3-pwm3
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')
Affected Product Symfony/cache
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-2019-18889

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

symfony/cache fixed: 3.4.35 
Upgrade symfony/cache to 3.4.35
symfony/cache fixed: 4.2.12 
Upgrade symfony/cache to 4.2.12
symfony/cache fixed: 4.3.8 
Upgrade symfony/cache to 4.3.8
symfony/symfony fixed: 3.4.35 
Upgrade symfony/symfony to 3.4.35
symfony/symfony fixed: 4.2.12 
Upgrade symfony/symfony to 4.2.12
symfony/symfony fixed: 4.3.8 
Upgrade symfony/symfony to 4.3.8
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 symfony/cache

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2019-18889, inspect your project dependencies for Symfony/cache:

inspect dependencies for symfony/cache

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Symfony/cache in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.4.35), 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-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of a code segment using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the syntax or behavior of the intended code segment. In Symfony/cache, 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

An issue was discovered in Symfony 3.4.0 through 3.4.34, 4.2.0 through 4.2.11, and 4.3.0 through 4.3.7. Serializing certain cache adapter interfaces could result in remote code injection. This is related to symfony/cache.

CVE-2019-18889 Affected Symfony/cache Versions

6 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.4.354.2.124.3.8
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
symfony/cache
 Packagist
≥ 3.1.0
< 3.4.35
3.4.35
symfony/cache
 Packagist
≥ 4.0.0
< 4.2.12
4.2.12
symfony/cache
 Packagist
≥ 4.3.0
< 4.3.8
4.3.8
symfony/symfony
 Packagist
≥ 3.1.0
< 3.4.35
3.4.35
symfony/symfony
 Packagist
≥ 4.0.0
< 4.2.12
4.2.12
symfony/symfony
 Packagist
≥ 4.3.0
< 4.3.8
4.3.8

References

NVD — CVE-2019-18889 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-18889
Symfony/cache Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/FriendsOfPHP/security-advisories/blob/master/symfony/cache/CVE-2019-18889.yaml
Symfony/cache Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/FriendsOfPHP/security-advisories/blob/master/symfony/symfony/CVE-2019-18889.yaml
Symfony/cache Release RELEASE
https://github.com/symfony/symfony/releases/tag/v4.3.8
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/UED22BOXTL2SSFMGYKA64ZFHGLLJG3EA
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/UED22BOXTL2SSFMGYKA64ZFHGLLJG3EA
symfony.com/blog/cve-2019-18889... WEB
https://symfony.com/blog/cve-2019-18889-forbid-serializing-abstractadapter-and-tagawareadapter-instances
symfony.com/blog/symfony-4-3-8-... WEB
https://symfony.com/blog/symfony-4-3-8-released
symfony.com/cve-2019-18889 WEB
https://symfony.com/cve-2019-18889

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2019-18889?
CVE-2019-18889 is a security vulnerability in Symfony/cache involving Symfony Unsafe Cache Serialization Could Enable RCE under CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection').
Which Symfony/cache versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.4.35, 4.2.12, 4.3.8 across affected packages: symfony/cache, symfony/symfony.
What version fixes CVE-2019-18889?
Upgrading to 3.4.35, 4.2.12, 4.3.8 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is symfony/cache affected?
Yes, symfony/cache is affected in releases prior to 3.4.35, 4.2.12, 4.3.8. Upgrade your dependency to 3.4.35, 4.2.12, 4.3.8 or later.
Is symfony/symfony affected?
Yes, symfony/symfony is affected in releases prior to 3.4.35, 4.2.12, 4.3.8. Upgrade your dependency to 3.4.35, 4.2.12, 4.3.8 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2019-18889?
CVE-2019-18889 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-2019-18889?
CVE-2019-18889 is classified under CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection') (The product constructs all or part of a code segment using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the syntax or behavior of the intended code segment.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2019-18889?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for symfony/cache'. 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-79gr-58r3-pwm3",
  "modified" : "2024-02-01T15:48:28Z",
  "published" : "2019-12-02T18:07:16Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2019-18889" ],
  "summary" : "Symfony Unsafe Cache Serialization Could Enable RCE",
  "details" : "An issue was discovered in Symfony 3.4.0 through 3.4.34, 4.2.0 through 4.2.11, and 4.3.0 through 4.3.7. Serializing certain cache adapter interfaces could result in remote code injection. This is related to symfony/cache.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
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        "introduced" : "4.3.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.3.8"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
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      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "symfony/symfony"
    },
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      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.1.0"
      }, {
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    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "symfony/symfony"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.2.12"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "symfony/symfony"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.3.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.3.8"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-18889"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/FriendsOfPHP/security-advisories/blob/master/symfony/cache/CVE-2019-18889.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/FriendsOfPHP/security-advisories/blob/master/symfony/symfony/CVE-2019-18889.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/symfony/symfony/releases/tag/v4.3.8"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/UED22BOXTL2SSFMGYKA64ZFHGLLJG3EA"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/UED22BOXTL2SSFMGYKA64ZFHGLLJG3EA"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://symfony.com/blog/cve-2019-18889-forbid-serializing-abstractadapter-and-tagawareadapter-instances"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://symfony.com/blog/symfony-4-3-8-released"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://symfony.com/cve-2019-18889"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-94" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2019-12-01T19:45:07Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2019-11-21T23:15:13Z"
  }
}