CVE-2012-1823: PHP-CGI Query String Parameter Vulnerability

Reference page built from the source records below, each shown as its source publishes it. Dataset version ref-ff5fcf0b292f, updated 2026-11-02T23:39:54.475Z.

CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities

Name: PHP-CGI Query String Parameter Vulnerability
Vendor: PHP
Product: PHP
Added to the catalog: 2022-03-25
Due date for US federal agencies: 2022-04-15
Weaknesses: CWE-20
Catalog version: 2026.10.30

sapi/cgi/cgi_main.c in PHP, when configured as a CGI script, does not properly handle query strings, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code.

Required action (CISA)

Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Ransomware use: CISA does not mark known use of this vulnerability in ransomware campaigns.

Links in CISA's notes

https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2012-1823

Read on 2026-11-02T23:39:54.475Z under licence cisa-kev-cc0@b0067899 from https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/feeds/known_exploited_vulnerabilities.json

NVD analysis

Status: Analyzed
Published: 2012-05-11T10:15:48.043
Last modified: 2026-06-16T23:40:22.147
Weaknesses: CWE-77

sapi/cgi/cgi_main.c in PHP before 5.3.12 and 5.4.x before 5.4.2, when configured as a CGI script (aka php-cgi), does not properly handle query strings that lack an = (equals sign) character, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by placing command-line options in the query string, related to lack of skipping a certain php_getopt for the 'd' case.

Metric	Score	Severity	Vector	Scored by
CVSS 3.1	9.8	CRITICAL	CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H	134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 (Secondary)
CVSS 2.0	7.5	HIGH	AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P	[email protected] (Primary)

References

http://eindbazen.net/2012/05/php-cgi-advisory-cve-2012-1823/ (Broken Link, Exploit)
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?objectID=c03360041 (Broken Link)
http://lists.apple.com/archives/security-announce/2012/Sep/msg00004.html (Mailing List, Third Party Advisory)
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2012-05/msg00002.html (Mailing List, Third Party Advisory)
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2012-05/msg00007.html (Mailing List, Third Party Advisory)
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2012-05/msg00011.html (Mailing List, Third Party Advisory)
http://marc.info/?l=bugtraq&m=134012830914727&w=2 (Mailing List)
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2012-0546.html (Third Party Advisory)
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2012-0547.html (Third Party Advisory)
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2012-0568.html (Third Party Advisory)
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2012-0569.html (Third Party Advisory)
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2012-0570.html (Third Party Advisory)
http://secunia.com/advisories/49014 (Broken Link)
http://secunia.com/advisories/49065 (Broken Link)
http://secunia.com/advisories/49085 (Broken Link)
http://secunia.com/advisories/49087 (Broken Link)
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5501 (Third Party Advisory)
http://www.debian.org/security/2012/dsa-2465 (Third Party Advisory)
http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/520827 (Exploit, Third Party Advisory, US Government Resource)
http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/673343 (Third Party Advisory, US Government Resource)
http://www.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDVSA-2012:068 (Broken Link)
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2024/06/07/1 (Mailing List)
http://www.php.net/ChangeLog-5.php#5.4.2 (Exploit, Patch, Release Notes)
http://www.php.net/archive/2012.php#id2012-05-03-1 (Release Notes)
http://www.securitytracker.com/id?1027022 (Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry)
https://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=61910 (Exploit, Patch)
https://bugs.php.net/patch-display.php?bug_id=61910&patch=cgi.diff&revision=1335984315&display=1 (Patch)
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/PKGTQUOA2NTZ3RXN22CSAUJPIRUYRB4B/ (Mailing List, Release Notes)
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/W45DBOH56NQDRTOM2DN2LNA2FZIMC3PK/ (Mailing List, Release Notes)
http://eindbazen.net/2012/05/php-cgi-advisory-cve-2012-1823/ (Broken Link, Exploit)
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?objectID=c03360041 (Broken Link)
http://lists.apple.com/archives/security-announce/2012/Sep/msg00004.html (Mailing List, Third Party Advisory)
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2012-05/msg00002.html (Mailing List, Third Party Advisory)
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2012-05/msg00007.html (Mailing List, Third Party Advisory)
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2012-05/msg00011.html (Mailing List, Third Party Advisory)
http://marc.info/?l=bugtraq&m=134012830914727&w=2 (Mailing List)
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2012-0546.html (Third Party Advisory)
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2012-0547.html (Third Party Advisory)
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2012-0568.html (Third Party Advisory)
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2012-0569.html (Third Party Advisory)
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2012-0570.html (Third Party Advisory)
http://secunia.com/advisories/49014 (Broken Link)
http://secunia.com/advisories/49065 (Broken Link)
http://secunia.com/advisories/49085 (Broken Link)
http://secunia.com/advisories/49087 (Broken Link)
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5501 (Third Party Advisory)
http://www.debian.org/security/2012/dsa-2465 (Third Party Advisory)
http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/520827 (Exploit, Third Party Advisory, US Government Resource)
http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/673343 (Third Party Advisory, US Government Resource)
http://www.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDVSA-2012:068 (Broken Link)
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2024/06/07/1 (Mailing List)
http://www.php.net/ChangeLog-5.php#5.4.2 (Exploit, Patch, Release Notes)
http://www.php.net/archive/2012.php#id2012-05-03-1 (Release Notes)
http://www.securitytracker.com/id?1027022 (Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry)
https://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=61910 (Exploit, Patch)
https://bugs.php.net/patch-display.php?bug_id=61910&patch=cgi.diff&revision=1335984315&display=1 (Patch)
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/PKGTQUOA2NTZ3RXN22CSAUJPIRUYRB4B/ (Mailing List, Release Notes)
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/W45DBOH56NQDRTOM2DN2LNA2FZIMC3PK/ (Mailing List, Release Notes)
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/[email protected]/message/PKGTQUOA2NTZ3RXN22CSAUJPIRUYRB4B/ (Mailing List, Release Notes)
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2012-1823 (US Government Resource)

This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.

Read on 2026-11-02T23:41:28.906Z under licence nvd-api-terms-of-use@ff2a5288 from https://services.nvd.nist.gov/rest/json/cves/2.0?cveId=CVE-2012-1823

CVE record

Assigner: certcc
State: PUBLISHED
Published: 2012-05-11T10:00:00.000Z
Updated: 2025-11-04T17:11:54.860Z
Problem types: n/a

References

SSRT100856
SUSE-SU-2012:0604
1027022
HPSBMU02786
MDVSA-2012:068
openSUSE-SU-2012:0590
RHSA-2012:0546
RHSA-2012:0568
RHSA-2012:0569
http://www.php.net/ChangeLog-5.php#5.4.2
49014
RHSA-2012:0570
SUSE-SU-2012:0598
https://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=61910
VU#673343
RHSA-2012:0547
APPLE-SA-2012-09-19-2
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5501
http://eindbazen.net/2012/05/php-cgi-advisory-cve-2012-1823/
49065
VU#520827
https://bugs.php.net/patch-display.php?bug_id=61910&patch=cgi.diff&revision=1335984315&display=1
SSRT100877
HPSBUX02791
DSA-2465
49085
http://www.php.net/archive/2012.php#id2012-05-03-1
49087
[oss-security] 20240606 PHP security releases 8.3.8, 8.2.20, and 8.1.29
FEDORA-2024-49aba7b305
FEDORA-2024-52c23ef1ec

Read on 2026-11-03T00:24:08.011Z under licence cve-terms-of-use@81bfa2f3 from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/main/cves/2012/1xxx/CVE-2012-1823.json

Defensive techniques (MITRE D3FEND)

D3FEND maps these defensive techniques to the weakness (CWE) that NVD lists for this CVE, through the digital artifacts the weakness affects. D3FEND does not say they stop this vulnerability.

CWE-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection')

Restore: Restore Software (acts on Software)
Harden: Domain Logic Validation (acts on Subroutine)
Model: Asset Vulnerability Enumeration (acts on Software)
Harden: Software Update (acts on Software)
Harden: Credential Scrubbing (acts on Subroutine)
Harden: Variable Initialization (acts on Subroutine)
Isolate: Application-based Process Isolation (acts on Subroutine)
Model: Software Inventory (acts on Software)
Harden: Trusted Library (acts on Subroutine)

D3FEND ontology version 1.6.0.

Read on 2026-11-02T23:54:14.988Z under licence d3fend-terms-of-use@f98cbc7e from https://d3fend.mitre.org/api/weakness/cwe/CWE-77.json

MITRE D3FEND™ knowledge graph. © 2025 The MITRE Corporation.
"The MITRE Corporation (MITRE) hereby grants you a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use D3FEND for research, development, and commercial purposes. Any copy you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you reproduce MITRE's copyright designation and this license in any such copy." Terms: https://d3fend.mitre.org/tou/

Sources and licences

CISA
Source: CISA Catalog of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities, version 2026.10.30, CC0 1.0. Use of this data does not imply endorsement by CISA or DHS.
CC0 1.0 Universal
National Vulnerability Database (NIST)
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.
NVD API Terms of Use (NIST publications in the public domain, 17 U.S.C. 105)
CVE Program, The MITRE Corporation
Copyright © 1999-2026, The MITRE Corporation. CVE is a trademark and the CVE logo is a registered trademark of The MITRE Corporation. CVE Usage: MITRE hereby grants you a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable copyright license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, sublicense, and distribute Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE™). Any copy you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you reproduce MITRE's copyright designation and this license in any such copy.
CVE Program Terms of Use ("CVE Usage" licence)
MITRE D3FEND
MITRE D3FEND™ knowledge graph. © 2025 The MITRE Corporation.
"The MITRE Corporation (MITRE) hereby grants you a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use D3FEND for research, development, and commercial purposes. Any copy you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you reproduce MITRE's copyright designation and this license in any such copy." Terms: https://d3fend.mitre.org/tou/
MITRE D3FEND Terms of Use (site + knowledge graph); source repo MIT

Cite this page

Dragons Eye Ransomware Tracker, "CVE-2012-1823: PHP-CGI Query String Parameter Vulnerability",
entity page, dataset version ref-ff5fcf0b292f, updated 2026-11-02T23:39:54.475Z,
https://ransomware-tracker.com/cve/CVE-2012-1823 (accessed 2026-11-03).
Underlying source: CISA Catalog of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities, version 2026.10.30.
Underlying source: National Vulnerability Database (NIST), CVE API 2.0, record last modified 2026-06-16T23:40:22.147.
Underlying source: CVE List (CVE Program, The MITRE Corporation), record updated 2025-11-04T17:11:54.860Z.
Underlying source: MITRE D3FEND, ontology version 1.6.0.

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