Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity
    • Blogs
    • Security Watch

    Open-Source PHP Gets Updates for Stability, Security

    By
    Sean Michael Kerner
    -
    August 19, 2013
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      The open-source PHP language is one of the most widely deployed technologies on the Web today, powering millions of Websites (including eWEEK). This past week, two important updates were issued for PHP, providing both security and bug fixes. Like many things in the open-source world (and technology in general), there isn’t just one version of PHP that is currently in use—in fact, there are now at least three main stable releases, including PHP 5.5, 5.4 and 5.3. The new security updates are for the 5.5 and 5.4 branches.

      PHP 5.4.18 fixes 30 bugs, including two that are specifically identified as security vulnerabilities. One of the security flaws is CVE-2013-4113, which is a memory heap corruption issue in PHP’s XML parser. In a heap corruption flaw, there is the potential for an attacker to abuse memory in order to get unauthorized code to run.

      The CVE-2013-4113 flaw was actually first reported in early July and fixed in PHP 5.5.1 and PHP 5.3.27. The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST’s) National Vulnerability Database rates the flaw as only having a medium base CVSS score of 6.8 out of 10. CVSS—the Common Vulnerability Scoring System—provides a baseline for vulnerability impact and analysis.

      From my own perspective, I don’t quite understand why PHP doesn’t update all of its versions for security vulnerabilities on the same date. Sure, I know there are other components involved in a build, but I have little doubt that attackers see a fix in one version and then try to exploit the same flaw in another. The fact that PHP 5.5 and 5.3 got their respective fixes for this XML parser issue almost a month before PHP 5.4 is a cause for concern.

      OpenSSL

      Both PHP 5.4.18 and PHP 5.5.2 are receiving a security update for an OpenSSL flaw identified as CVE-2013-4248. The OpenSSL module in PHP enables encrypted Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) transport over the Web. The CVE-2013-4248 flaw could potentially enable a man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack against SSL. In an MITM attack, the attacker sits in the middle of the transport chain, intercepting and then impersonating the legitimate traffic.

      Strict Sessions

      PHP 5.5.2 is now also set to benefit from a new capability that will limit the risk of a security weakness known as “Session Fixation.” Session Fixation is defined by the Common Weakness Enumeration database as” authenticating a user, or otherwise establishing a new user session, without invalidating any existing session identifier which gives an attacker the opportunity to steal authenticated sessions.”

      The implementation of something known as “Strict Sessions” in PHP 5.5.2 is an attempt to limit the risk of Session Fixation attacks. The proposal to include Strict Sessions in PHP was first made in 2011, so this is an effort that is years in the making.

      PHP 5.5 itself was first released in June of this year and isn’t yet widely deployed. It’ll be interesting to see if the Strict Sessions capability is backported to PHP 5.4 and 5.3 in the coming weeks.

      Sean Michael Kerner is a senior editor at eWEEK and InternetNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TechJournalist.

      Sean Michael Kerner
      Sean Michael Kerner is an Internet consultant, strategist, and contributor to several leading IT business web sites.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×