CVE-2024-51736

Description

On Windows, when an executable file named cmd.exe is located in the current working directory it will be called by the Process class when preparing command arguments, leading to possible hijacking.

Resolution

The Process class now uses the absolute path to cmd.exe.

The patch for this issue is available here for branch 5.4.

Credits

We would like to thank Jordi Boggiano for reporting the issue and Nicolas Grekas for providing the fix.

Untrusted input is inserted into a command that is later executed by the application, allowing the attacker to alter the intent of that command. Typical impact: arbitrary command execution in the application's environment.

CVE-2024-51736 has a CVSS score of 8.4 (High). The vector is requires local access, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (5.4.46, 6.4.14, 7.1.7); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

1. What is CVE-2024-51736? CVE-2024-51736 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in symfony/process (composer), affecting versions < 5.4.46. It is fixed in 5.4.46, 6.4.14, 7.1.7. Untrusted input is inserted into a command that is later executed by the application, allowing the attacker to alter the intent of that command.
2. How severe is CVE-2024-51736? CVE-2024-51736 has a CVSS score of 8.4 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which packages are affected by CVE-2024-51736?
   • symfony/process (composer) (versions < 5.4.46)
   • symfony/symfony (composer) (versions < 5.4.46)
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2024-51736? Yes. CVE-2024-51736 is fixed in 5.4.46, 6.4.14, 7.1.7. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2024-51736 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2024-51736 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2024-51736 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
7. How do I fix CVE-2024-51736?
   • Upgrade symfony/process to 5.4.46 or later
   • Upgrade symfony/process to 6.4.14 or later
   • Upgrade symfony/process to 7.1.7 or later
   • Upgrade symfony/symfony to 5.4.46 or later
   • Upgrade symfony/symfony to 6.4.14 or later
   • Upgrade symfony/symfony to 7.1.7 or later