If you are running a system labeled as "PHP version 5640" or 5.6.40 , follow this verification protocol.
Inspect incoming POST requests for suspicious serialized data strings ( O: , a: , s: syntax). 4. Disable Dangerous Functions
The exif and fileinfo extensions in PHP 5.6.40 fail to properly validate data bounds when parsing specially crafted JPEG or ELF files. An attacker can upload a malicious image to a web application that extracts EXIF metadata, causing the PHP process to crash or leak sensitive memory contents to the HTTP response. 3. MBSTRING Buffer Overflow (CVE-2020-7060) Type: Global Buffer Overflow Component: ext/mbstring Impact: Denial of Service / Memory Corruption php version 5640 vulnerabilities verified
These patterns indicate attempted exploitation of CVE-2019-11043 or IMAP injection.
What (Ubuntu, CentOS, Windows Server) hosts the application? If you are running a system labeled as
For a basic verification, the most straightforward check is to ensure the PHP version is no longer 5.6.40. This can be done by running php -v on the command line or by accessing a page with <?php phpinfo(); ?> on a web server. A version higher than 5.6.40 (or a different version entirely) indicates that an update has been applied.
Do you have the resources to for a PHP 8 upgrade? Share public link Disable Dangerous Functions The exif and fileinfo extensions
If you see 5.6.40-0+deb9u1 (Debian) or 5.6.400 (custom compile), treat as .
Anything discovered after January 2019 remains unpatched in this version. If you see a version string like 5.6.40-1 or a system reporting 5.6.400 (5640), you are either dealing with a custom build, a typo, or—more likely—a system that has not been updated in over half a decade.
The only permanent fix for PHP 5.6 vulnerabilities is to upgrade to a currently supported version of PHP. Upgrading from 5.6 to a modern version (such as PHP 8.1, 8.2, or 8.3) is a massive jump that will likely require refactoring deprecated code.
| CVE ID | Vulnerability Type | Description | Risk Level | Base Score | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |:--- | | | Buffer Underflow / Remote Code Execution (RCE) | A buffer underflow in php-fpm leading to RCE in specific Nginx+php-fpm configurations, one of the most severe for this version. | Critical | 9.8 (CVSS 3.1) | | CVE-2019-9022 | Out-of-bounds Read / Denial of Service (DoS) | Hostile DNS responses could misuse memcpy , causing a read past an allocated buffer and leading to DoS or information disclosure. | High | 7.5 | | CVE-2019-9640 | Uninitialized Read / Information Disclosure | An uninitialized read in exif_process_IFD_in_MAKERNOTE within the EXIF component could lead to information disclosure. | Medium | 5.3 | | CVE-2019-9641 | Uninitialized Read / Information Disclosure | An uninitialized read in exif_process_IFD_in_TIFF within the EXIF component could lead to information disclosure. | Medium | 5.3 | | CVE-2020-7064 | Out-of-bounds Read | A one-byte out-of-bounds read that can be used to leak sensitive information from memory or cause a crash. | Medium | 5.3 | | CVE-2020-7066 | Input Validation Error (URL Truncation) | An issue in get_headers() that truncates URLs at a null ( \0 ) character, which could lead to incorrect assumptions and sending information to a wrong server. | Medium | 5.3 | | CVE-2020-7067 | Use-After-Free | A use-after-free vulnerability that could potentially be exploited to cause a crash or execute arbitrary code. | High | 7.5 | | CVE-2019-11044 | Input Validation Error | link() function accepts filenames with embedded null ( \0 ) byte, treating them as terminating at that byte, leading to path handling bypasses. | Medium | 5.3 | | CVE-2019-11045 | Input Validation Error | DirectoryIterator class accepts filenames with embedded null ( \0 ) byte, causing path truncation and potential security bypasses. | Medium | 5.3 | | CVE-2019-11046 | Buffer Under-read / Memory Disclosure | bcmath extension can be tricked into reading beyond allocated memory via crafted strings that appear numeric, leading to information disclosure. | Medium | 7.5 | | CVE-2019-9637, CVE-2019-9638, CVE-2019-9639 | EXIF Component Vulnerabilities | A set of issues within the EXIF component that could lead to various impacts, including DoS and information disclosure. | Medium | 5.3-7.5 |