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mb_encode_mimeheader runs endlessly for some inputs

High
bukka published GHSA-fjp9-9hwx-59fq Apr 11, 2024

Package

No package listed

Affected versions

< 8.3.5

Patched versions

8.3.6

Description

Summary

Certain inputs provided to mb_encode_mimeheader trigger an endless loop.

Details

A discernible pattern has not yet been identified, but a specific string consistently reproduces the issue.

PoC

In PHP 8.3.3, execute:

<?php
mb_internal_encoding('UTF-8');
mb_encode_mimeheader(",9868949,9868978,9869015,9689100,9869121,9869615,9870690,9867116,98558119861183. ", "utf-8", "B");

The mb_encode_mimeheader function seems to enter an infinite loop and fails to return.

Impact

Given that this function is integral to numerous email processing routines, including those handling potentially untrusted user inputs, this vulnerability could be exploited for denial-of-service attacks. For instance, CakePHP 5 relies on this function to encode email subjects.
https://github.com/cakephp/cakephp/blob/5.x/src/Mailer/Message.php#L815

Severity

High
7.5
/ 10

CVSS base metrics

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CVE ID

CVE-2024-2757

Weaknesses

No CWEs

Credits