Vulnerability Database

346,508

Total vulnerabilities in the database

CVE-2026-24765 — phpunit / phpunit

Deserialization of Untrusted Data

PHPUnit is a testing framework for PHP. A vulnerability has been discovered in versions prior to 12.5.8, 11.5.50, 10.5.62, 9.6.33, and 8.5.52 involving unsafe deserialization of code coverage data in PHPT test execution. The vulnerability exists in the cleanupForCoverage() method, which deserializes code coverage files without validation, potentially allowing remote code execution if malicious .coverage files are present prior to the execution of the PHPT test. The vulnerability occurs when a .coverage file, which should not exist before test execution, is deserialized without the allowed_classes parameter restriction. An attacker with local file write access can place a malicious serialized object with a __wakeup() method into the file system, leading to arbitrary code execution during test runs with code coverage instrumentation enabled. This vulnerability requires local file write access to the location where PHPUnit stores or expects code coverage files for PHPT tests. This can occur through CI/CD pipeline attacks, the local development environment, and/or compromised dependencies. Rather than just silently sanitizing the input via ['allowed_classes' => false], the maintainer has chosen to make the anomalous state explicit by treating pre-existing .coverage files for PHPT tests as an error condition. Starting in versions in versions 12.5.8, 11.5.50, 10.5.62, 9.6.33, when a .coverage file is detected for a PHPT test prior to execution, PHPUnit will emit a clear error message identifying the anomalous state. Organizations can reduce the effective risk of this vulnerability through proper CI/CD configuration, including ephemeral runners, code review enforcement, branch protection, artifact isolation, and access control.

CVSS v3:

  • Severity: High
  • Score: 7.8
  • AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Frequently Asked Questions

A security vulnerability is a weakness in software, hardware, or configuration that can be exploited to compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability. Many vulnerabilities are tracked as CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures), which provide a standardized identifier so teams can coordinate patching, mitigation, and risk assessment across tools and vendors.

CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) estimates technical severity, but it doesn't automatically equal business risk. Prioritize using context like internet exposure, affected asset criticality, known exploitation (proof-of-concept or in-the-wild), and whether compensating controls exist. A "Medium" CVSS on an exposed, production system can be more urgent than a "Critical" on an isolated, non-production host.

A vulnerability is the underlying weakness. An exploit is the method or code used to take advantage of it. A zero-day is a vulnerability that is unknown to the vendor or has no publicly available fix when attackers begin using it. In practice, risk increases sharply when exploitation becomes reliable or widespread.

Recurring findings usually come from incomplete Asset Discovery, inconsistent patch management, inherited images, and configuration drift. In modern environments, you also need to watch the software supply chain: dependencies, containers, build pipelines, and third-party services can reintroduce the same weakness even after you patch a single host. Unknown or unmanaged assets (often called Shadow IT) are a common reason the same issues resurface.

Use a simple, repeatable triage model: focus first on externally exposed assets, high-value systems (identity, VPN, email, production), vulnerabilities with known exploits, and issues that enable remote code execution or privilege escalation. Then enforce patch SLAs and track progress using consistent metrics so remediation is steady, not reactive.

SynScan combines attack surface monitoring and continuous security auditing to keep your inventory current, flag high-impact vulnerabilities early, and help you turn raw findings into a practical remediation plan.