# CVE-2006-5178: Race condition in n/a

> Local attackers can bypass open_basedir restrictions via a race condition in symlink handling, allowing unauthorized file access.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.2 (`AV:L/AC:H/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 6 Oct 2006
- **Updated:** 7 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-qq66-666f-6x36

## What is CVE-2006-5178?

CVE-2006-5178 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Php Php, published on 6 Oct 2006. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Race condition in the symlink function in PHP 5.1.6 and earlier allows local users to bypass the open_basedir restriction by using a combination of symlink, mkdir, and unlink functions to change the file path after the open_basedir check and before the file is opened by the underlying system, as demonstrated by symlinking a symlink into a subdirectory, to point to a parent directory via .. (dot dot) sequences, and then unlinking the resulting symlink.

Weakness: CWE-362 (Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2006-5178?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Php Php.

## How do I fix CVE-2006-5178?

No fix has been published for CVE-2006-5178 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2006-5178 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2006-5178 exists.

Public exploit code:

- PHP 5.2.12/5.3.1 - 'symlink()' open_basedir Bypass (exploitdb)

## Other vulnerabilities in Php Php

- [CVE-2012-2688](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-2688/): Integer overflow in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2012-2376](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-2376/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2011-3268](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2011-3268/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2009-4143](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2009-4143/): Other in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2008-5557](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-5557/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 10.0)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2006-5178 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2006-5178 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Php Php, published on 6 Oct 2006. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2006-5178 exists.

Affected product: Php Php. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2006-5178/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2006-5178/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2006-5178
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2006-5178
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2006-5178

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2006-5178/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.