CVE-2000-0967

PHP 3 and 4 - Remote Code Execution via Format String Injection

Title source: manual
STIX 2.1

Exploitation Summary

EIP tracks 2 public exploits for CVE-2000-0967. PoCs published by Gneisenau, anonymous.

AI-analyzed exploit summary This exploit targets a remote format string vulnerability in PHP 3.0.16/4.0.2 by crafting a malicious HTTP POST request with embedded shellcode. It leverages a buffer overflow to overwrite the EIP and execute arbitrary code, specifically spawning a shell via inetd.

Description

PHP 3 and 4 do not properly cleanse user-injected format strings, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands by triggering error messages that are improperly written to the error logs.

Exploits (2)

exploitdb WORKING POC VERIFIED
by Gneisenau · cremotelinux
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/220

This exploit targets a remote format string vulnerability in PHP 3.0.16/4.0.2 by crafting a malicious HTTP POST request with embedded shellcode. It leverages a buffer overflow to overwrite the EIP and execute arbitrary code, specifically spawning a shell via inetd.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Rce
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: PHP 3.0.16/4.0.2
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to the target PHP application · PHP 3.0.16/4.0.2 with vulnerable configuration
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
exploitdb WORKING POC VERIFIED
by anonymous · cremotephp
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/20286

This exploit targets a format string vulnerability in PHP versions below 4.0.3, leveraging error logging to execute arbitrary code via crafted format specifiers. The PoC constructs a malicious HTTP POST request with shellcode to achieve remote code execution.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Rce
Complexity
Complex
Reliability
Reliable
Target: PHP < 4.0.3
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Error logging enabled in php.ini · Network access to target PHP application
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →

References (9)

Core 9
Core References
Vendor Advisory vendor-advisory x_refsource_redhat
http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2000-095.html
Vendor Advisory vendor-advisory x_refsource_redhat
http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2000-088.html
Various Sources vendor-advisory x_refsource_atstake
http://www.atstake.com/research/advisories/2000/a101200-1.txt
Vendor Advisory vendor-advisory x_refsource_caldera
http://www.calderasystems.com/support/security/advisories/CSSA-2000-037.0.txt
Various Sources vendor-advisory x_refsource_mandrake
http://www.linux-mandrake.com/en/security/MDKSA-2000-062.php3?dis=7.1
Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry vdb-entry x_refsource_xf
https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/5359
Third Party Advisory mailing-list x_refsource_bugtraq
http://archives.neohapsis.com/archives/bugtraq/2000-10/0204.html
Various Sources vendor-advisory x_refsource_freebsd
ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org/pub/FreeBSD/CERT/advisories/FreeBSD-SA-00:75.php.asc
Exploit, Patch, Vendor Advisory vdb-entry x_refsource_bid
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/1786

Scores

EPSS 0.2063
EPSS Percentile 97.2%

Details

Status published
Products (2)
php/php 3.0
php/php 4.0
Published Dec 19, 2000
Tracked Since Feb 18, 2026