GHSA-5g9f-cwwg-4p8g is a low-severity (CVSS 3) CWE-73 vulnerability in pontedilana/php-weasyprint. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-5g9f-cwwg-4p8g is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
PhpWeasyPrint vulnerable to arbitrary file deletion at shutdown via public $temporaryFiles
Real-World Exposure
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Description
Summary
AbstractGenerator::$temporaryFiles is a public array, and removeTemporaryFiles() — invoked from __destruct() and from a registered shutdown function — calls unlink() on every entry without verifying that the path is contained within the temporary folder. Any code holding a reference to a generator instance can push an arbitrary path into the array and have it deleted on script shutdown.
This mirrors the KnpLabs/snappy issue GHSA-87qc-37cw-84h4, patched in snappy 1.7.2.
Affected versions
pontedilana/php-weasyprint versions <= 2.5.1.
Patched in: 2.6.0.
Vulnerable code
src/AbstractGenerator.php:
public array $temporaryFiles = [];
// ...
public function removeTemporaryFiles(): void
{
foreach ($this->temporaryFiles as $file) {
$this->unlink($file);
}
}
No path-containment check: whatever path is present in $temporaryFiles at shutdown is unlinked.
Proof of concept
<?php
use Pontedilana\PhpWeasyPrint\Pdf;
$pdf = new Pdf();
$pdf->temporaryFiles[] = '/var/www/html/.env';
// On shutdown, removeTemporaryFiles() deletes /var/www/html/.env.
Impact
- Arbitrary file deletion bound to script shutdown, scoped to the privileges of the PHP process user.
- Not directly exploitable on its own (the attacker already needs to influence the property in the same request). The risk is amplification: chained with a separate disclosure bug it enables leak-then-delete-to-cover-tracks, and any deserialization/property-oriented gadget that reaches this property becomes a generic file-delete primitive.
CWE-73 (External Control of File Name or Path).
Suggested fix
Only delete files that actually live inside the temporary folder, comparing canonical (realpath) paths:
public function removeTemporaryFiles(): void
{
$temporaryFolderPath = \realpath($this->getTemporaryFolder());
if (false === $temporaryFolderPath) {
return;
}
$temporaryFolderPath = \rtrim($temporaryFolderPath, \DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR) . \DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR;
foreach ($this->temporaryFiles as $file) {
$filePath = \realpath($file);
if (false === $filePath || 0 !== \strncmp($filePath, $temporaryFolderPath, \strlen($temporaryFolderPath))) {
continue;
}
$this->unlink($file);
}
}
(The trailing directory separator prevents a sibling folder such as /tmpevil from matching /tmp; strncmp is used instead of str_starts_with to keep PHP 7.4 compatibility.)
Credit
Reported upstream to KnpLabs/snappy (GHSA-87qc-37cw-84h4); identified as applicable to pontedilana/php-weasyprint, which mirrors the same code.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐘Packagist | pontedilana/php-weasyprint | all versions | 2.6.0 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for pontedilana/php-weasyprint. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update pontedilana/php-weasyprint to 2.6.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-5g9f-cwwg-4p8g is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether GHSA-5g9f-cwwg-4p8g is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to GHSA-5g9f-cwwg-4p8g. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-5g9f-cwwg-4p8g in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-5g9f-cwwg-4p8g across Packagist dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.