Summary
Zendframework1 Potential SQL injection in ORDER and GROUP functions
The implementation of ORDER BY and GROUP BY in Zend_Db_Select remained prone to SQL injection when a combination of SQL expressions and comments were used. This security patch provides a comprehensive solution that identifies and removes comments prior to checking validity of the statement to ensure no SQLi vectors occur.
The implementation of ORDER BY and GROUP BY in Zend_Db_Select of ZF1 is vulnerable by the following SQL injection:
$db = Zend_Db::factory(/* options here */);
$select = new Zend_Db_Select($db);
$select->from('p');
$select->order("MD5(\"a(\");DELETE FROM p2; #)"); // same with group()
The above $select will render the following SQL statement:
SELECT `p`.* FROM `p` ORDER BY MD5("a(");DELETE FROM p2; #) ASC
instead of the correct one:
SELECT "p".* FROM "p" ORDER BY "MD5(""a("");DELETE FROM p2; #)" ASC
This security fix can be considered an improvement of the previous ZF2016-02 and ZF2014-04 advisories.
As a final consideration, we recommend developers either never use user input for these operations, or filter user input thoroughly prior to invoking Zend_Db. You can use the Zend_Db_Select::quoteInto() method to filter the input data, as shown in this example:
$db = Zend_Db::factory(...);
$input = "MD5(\"a(\");DELETE FROM p2; #)"; // user input can be an attack
$order = $db->quoteInto("SQL statement for ORDER", $input);
$select = new Zend_Db_Select($db);
$select->from('p');
$select->order($order); // same with group()
Impact
Untrusted input alters a database query, allowing the attacker to read or modify data the query was not intended to access. Typical impact: data disclosure or modification.
GHSA-6FQW-J3VM-7F66 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical). The vector is network-reachable, 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 (1.12.20); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
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. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is GHSA-6FQW-J3VM-7F66? GHSA-6FQW-J3VM-7F66 is a critical-severity SQL injection vulnerability in zendframework/zendframework1 (composer), affecting versions < 1.12.20. It is fixed in 1.12.20. Untrusted input alters a database query, allowing the attacker to read or modify data the query was not intended to access.
- How severe is GHSA-6FQW-J3VM-7F66? GHSA-6FQW-J3VM-7F66 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical). 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.
- Which versions of zendframework/zendframework1 are affected by GHSA-6FQW-J3VM-7F66? zendframework/zendframework1 (composer) versions < 1.12.20 is affected.
- Is there a fix for GHSA-6FQW-J3VM-7F66? Yes. GHSA-6FQW-J3VM-7F66 is fixed in 1.12.20. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is GHSA-6FQW-J3VM-7F66 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether GHSA-6FQW-J3VM-7F66 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
- What actually determines whether GHSA-6FQW-J3VM-7F66 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.
- How do I fix GHSA-6FQW-J3VM-7F66? Upgrade
zendframework/zendframework1to 1.12.20 or later.