php: Zend OPCache code permission/sensitive data protection issues
Published Mar 2, 2017
7.5
HIGHCVSS 3.1
EPSS 2.94%
Description
An issue was discovered in PHP 5.x and 7.x, when the configuration uses apache2handler/mod_php or php-fpm with OpCache enabled. With 5.x after 5.6.28 or 7.x after 7.0.13, the issue is resolved in a non-default configuration with the opcache.validate_permission=1 setting. The vulnerability details are as follows. In PHP SAPIs where PHP interpreters share a common parent process, Zend OpCache creates a shared memory object owned by the common parent during initialization. Child PHP processes inherit the SHM descriptor, using it to cache and retrieve compiled script bytecode ("opcode" in PHP jargon). Cache keys vary depending on configuration, but filename is a central key component, and compiled opcode can generally be run if a script's filename is known or can be guessed. Many common shared-hosting configurations change EUID in child processes to enforce privilege separation among hosted users (for example using mod_ruid2 for the Apache HTTP Server, or php-fpm user settings). In these scenarios, the default Zend OpCache behavior defeats script file permissions by sharing a single SHM cache among all child PHP processes. PHP scripts often contain sensitive information: Think of CMS configurations where reading or running another user's script usually means gaining privileges to the CMS database.
Affected products
No data.
No data.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5
php
Not affected
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5
php53
Not affected
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
php
Not affected
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
php
Not affected
Red Hat Software Collections
rh-php56-php
Will not fix
Red Hat Software Collections
rh-php70-php
Will not fix
| Product | Package | State | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 | php | Not affected | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 | php53 | Not affected | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | php | Not affected | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | php | Not affected | n/a |
| Red Hat Software Collections | rh-php56-php | Will not fix | n/a |
| Red Hat Software Collections | rh-php70-php | Will not fix | n/a |
No package ranges for this CVE.
Remediation
Red Hat statement
Red Hat Product Security has rated this issue as having Low security impact. This issue is not currently planned to be addressed in future updates. For additional information, refer to the Issue Severity Classification: https://access.redhat.com/security/updates/classification/.
Metrics
No CVSS v4.0 score for this CVE.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
This CVE is not in the KEV list.
No CISA SSVC assessment for this CVE yet.
Estimated probability of exploitation in the wild in the next 30 days (FIRST EPSS). As of Oct 1, 2026.
Score over time
2022–2026- EPSS v2
- EPSS v3
- EPSS v4
- EPSS v5
Percentile over time
- EPSS v2
- EPSS v3
- EPSS v4
- EPSS v5
Table of values (20 key points)
Flat stretches are collapsed; showing up to 120 newest points.
| Date | Score | Percentile | Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2026 | 2.94% (0.02937) | 86.62th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Jun 15, 2026 | 2.94% (0.02937) | 85.27th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Aug 17, 2025 | 1.80% (0.01802) | 82.03th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Aug 1, 2025 | 0.62% (0.00618) | 69.16th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Jul 4, 2025 | 2.12% (0.02119) | 83.39th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Jul 1, 2025 | 0.96% (0.00956) | 75.51th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Jun 4, 2025 | 2.12% (0.02119) | 83.27th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Jun 1, 2025 | 0.96% (0.00956) | 75.41th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| May 4, 2025 | 2.12% (0.02119) | 83.18th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| May 1, 2025 | 0.96% (0.00956) | 75.30th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Mar 30, 2025 | 2.12% (0.02119) | 82.58th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Mar 29, 2025 | 7.31% (0.07305) | 85.81th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Mar 17, 2025 | 2.12% (0.02119) | 82.95th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Dec 17, 2024 | 1.83% (0.01829) | 87.90th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Feb 8, 2024 | 0.45% (0.00448) | 74.27th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Mar 7, 2023 | 0.45% (0.00448) | 71.04th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Mar 6, 2023 | 1.03% (0.01034) | 41.69th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
| Sep 10, 2022 | 1.03% (0.01034) | 39.91th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
| Apr 1, 2022 | 1.03% (0.01034) | 37.91th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
| Feb 4, 2022 | 1.03% (0.01034) | 20.32th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
References (11)
- http://marc.info/?l=php-internals&m=147876797317925&w=2 x_refsource_MISCMailing List
- http://marc.info/?l=php-internals&m=147921016724565&w=2 x_refsource_MISCMailing List
- http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2017/02/28/1 x_refsource_MISCMailing List
- http://seclists.org/oss-sec/2016/q4/343 x_refsource_MISCMailing ListThird Party Advisory
- http://seclists.org/oss-sec/2017/q1/520 x_refsource_MISCMailing ListThird Party Advisory
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2015-8994 Vendor Advisory
- https://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=69090 x_refsource_MISCExploitIssue Tracking
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1395231 Issue Tracking
- https://ma.ttias.be/a-better-way-to-run-php-fpm/ x_refsource_MISCExploitTechnical DescriptionThird Party Advisory
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-8994
- https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2015-8994
| Link | Providers | Tags |
|---|---|---|
| http://marc.info/?l=php-internals&m=147876797317925&w=2 | x_refsource_MISCMailing List | |
| http://marc.info/?l=php-internals&m=147921016724565&w=2 | x_refsource_MISCMailing List | |
| http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2017/02/28/1 | x_refsource_MISCMailing List | |
| http://seclists.org/oss-sec/2016/q4/343 | x_refsource_MISCMailing ListThird Party Advisory | |
| http://seclists.org/oss-sec/2017/q1/520 | x_refsource_MISCMailing ListThird Party Advisory | |
| https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2015-8994 | Vendor Advisory | |
| https://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=69090 | x_refsource_MISCExploitIssue Tracking | |
| https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1395231 | Issue Tracking | |
| https://ma.ttias.be/a-better-way-to-run-php-fpm/ | x_refsource_MISCExploitTechnical DescriptionThird Party Advisory | |
| https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-8994 | ||
| https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2015-8994 |
Change history (0)
No recorded changes yet.