# CVE-2012-1172: The file-upload implementation in rfc1867.c in PHP before 5.4.0 does not properly handle invalid [ (open square bracket) characters in name


- **Severity:** Medium 5.8 (`AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:P`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 24 May 2012
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-jpm9-86g2-j2gx

## What is CVE-2012-1172?

CVE-2012-1172 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Php Php, published on 24 May 2012. 

### Official description

The file-upload implementation in rfc1867.c in PHP before 5.4.0 does not properly handle invalid [ (open square bracket) characters in name values, which makes it easier for remote attackers to cause a denial of service (malformed $_FILES indexes) or conduct directory traversal attacks during multi-file uploads by leveraging a script that lacks its own filename restrictions.

Weakness: CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2012-1172?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Php Php.

## How do I fix CVE-2012-1172?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2012-1172 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2012-1172 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## 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-2012-1172 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2012-1172 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Php Php, published on 24 May 2012. 
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2012-1172 in the wild and no public exploit code.

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-2012-1172/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-1172/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2012-1172
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2012-1172
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2012-1172

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-1172/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.