GHSA-R7CG-QJJM-XHQQ

webonyx/graphql-php has unbounded recursion in parser that causes stack overflow on crafted nested input

• Process termination: a single 74 KB POST kills the entire PHP process that handles it. In php-fpm, the worker is killed and respawned by the master; every other in-flight request on that worker is dropped. In long-running PHP runtimes (Swoole, RoadRunner, ReactPHP), the entire daemon dies.
• Pre-validation: Parser::parse is invoked before any validation rule. Field count caps, complexity analyzers, persisted query allow-lists, and all custom validators run after parsing and therefore cannot intercept the crash.
• No catchable error: unlike a slow query, a memory_limit exceeded, or a parse error, SIGSEGV cannot be intercepted by PHP. There is no error log entry from the PHP application; only the FPM master log shows child exited on signal 11.
• Tiny payload: 74 KB is well below every common HTTP body size limit. The query is also extremely compressible: [ repeated 37,500 times compresses to a few hundred bytes via gzip, bypassing nginx client_max_body_size, AWS ALB body-size caps, and WAF inspection of the encoded payload.
• Ecosystem reach: webonyx/graphql-php is the parser used by Lighthouse (Laravel), Overblog/GraphQLBundle (Symfony), wp-graphql (WordPress), Drupal GraphQL module, and the majority of PHP GraphQL servers. Any of these is exposed unless the front layer rejects the decompressed payload before reaching the parser.

GHSA-R7CG-QJJM-XHQQ has a CVSS score of 8.2 (High). 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 (15.32.3); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

1. What is GHSA-R7CG-QJJM-XHQQ? GHSA-R7CG-QJJM-XHQQ is a high-severity security vulnerability in webonyx/graphql-php (composer), affecting versions <= 15.32.2. It is fixed in 15.32.3.
2. How severe is GHSA-R7CG-QJJM-XHQQ? GHSA-R7CG-QJJM-XHQQ has a CVSS score of 8.2 (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 versions of webonyx/graphql-php are affected by GHSA-R7CG-QJJM-XHQQ? webonyx/graphql-php (composer) versions <= 15.32.2 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for GHSA-R7CG-QJJM-XHQQ? Yes. GHSA-R7CG-QJJM-XHQQ is fixed in 15.32.3. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is GHSA-R7CG-QJJM-XHQQ exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether GHSA-R7CG-QJJM-XHQQ 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 GHSA-R7CG-QJJM-XHQQ 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 GHSA-R7CG-QJJM-XHQQ? Upgrade webonyx/graphql-php to 15.32.3 or later.