GHSA-qc7w-4567-84wv is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.8) vulnerability in zendframework/zendframework. A fix is available for zendframework/zendframework — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Zendframework vulnerable to XXE/XEE attacks
Real-World Exposure
zendframework/zendframework🐘zendframework/zendframeworkReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Packagist packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Numerous components utilizing PHP's DOMDocument, SimpleXML, and xml_parse functionality are vulnerable to two types of attacks:
- XML eXternal Entity (XXE) Injection attacks. The above mentioned extensions are insecure by default, allowing external entities to be specified by adding a specific DOCTYPE element to XML documents and strings. By exploiting this vulnerability an application may be coerced to open arbitrary files and/or TCP connections.
- XML Entity Expansion (XEE) vectors, leading to Denial of Service vectors. XEE attacks occur when the XML DOCTYPE declaration includes XML entity definitions that contain either recursive or circular references; this leads to CPU and memory consumption, making Denial of Service exploits trivial to implement.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐘Packagist | zendframework/zendframework | ≥ 2.1.0&&< 2.1.6 | 2.1.6composer require zendframework/zendframework:^2.1.6 |
| 🐘Packagist | zendframework/zendframework | ≥ 2.2.0&&< 2.2.6 | 2.2.6composer require zendframework/zendframework:^2.2.6 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for zendframework/zendframework, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update zendframework/zendframework to 2.1.6 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-qc7w-4567-84wv 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 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like GHSA-qc7w-4567-84wv can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-qc7w-4567-84wv. 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-qc7w-4567-84wv in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-qc7w-4567-84wv across Packagist dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.