CVE-2017-7963 : Security Advisory and Response

The interfaces of the GNU Multiple Precision Arithmetic Library (GMP) for PHP up to version 7.1.4 can be exploited by attackers to cause a denial of service.

Understanding CVE-2017-7963

The GNU Multiple Precision Arithmetic Library (GMP) interfaces for PHP through version 7.1.4 have a disputed vulnerability that allows attackers to conduct operations on long strings, leading to a denial of service.

What is CVE-2017-7963?

The vulnerability in GMP for PHP up to version 7.1.4 enables attackers to trigger a denial of service by manipulating long strings, resulting in excessive memory consumption and application crashes.

The Impact of CVE-2017-7963

Attackers can exploit this vulnerability to cause denial of service by conducting operations on long strings.
Excessive memory consumption and application crashes can occur as a result of the exploitation.
The vendor disputes the severity of the issue, claiming that GMP has mechanisms to handle out-of-memory conditions.

Technical Details of CVE-2017-7963

The technical aspects of the CVE-2017-7963 vulnerability are as follows:

Vulnerability Description

The GMP interfaces for PHP up to version 7.1.4 allow attackers to trigger a denial of service through operations on long strings.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: Not applicable
Vendor: Not applicable
Versions affected: Not applicable

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers exploit the vulnerability by manipulating long strings, leading to excessive memory usage and application crashes.

Mitigation and Prevention

Steps to mitigate and prevent the CVE-2017-7963 vulnerability:

Immediate Steps to Take

Regularly monitor and limit memory consumption in PHP applications.
Implement input validation to prevent unbounded allocations.

Long-Term Security Practices

Keep PHP and related libraries up to date to address security vulnerabilities.
Conduct regular security assessments and code reviews to identify and address potential vulnerabilities.

Patching and Updates

Apply patches and updates provided by PHP to address the CVE-2017-7963 vulnerability.