URI validation failure on SVG parsing. Bypass of CVE-2023-23924
Summary
Due to the difference in the attribute parser of Dompdf and php-svg-lib, an attacker can still call arbitrary URLs with arbitrary protocols.
Details
Dompdf parses the href attribute of image tags with the following code:
src/Image/Cache.php line 135-150
function ($parser, $name, $attributes) use ($options, $parsed_url, $full_url) {
if (strtolower($name) === "image") {
$attributes = array_change_key_case($attributes, CASE_LOWER);
$url = $attributes["xlink:href"] ?? $attributes["href"];
if (!empty($url)) {
$inner_full_url = Helpers::build_url($parsed_url["protocol"], $parsed_url["host"], $parsed_url["path"], $url);
if ($inner_full_url === $full_url) {
throw new ImageException("SVG self-reference is not allowed", E_WARNING);
}
[$resolved_url, $type, $message] = self::resolve_url($url, $parsed_url["protocol"], $parsed_url["host"], $parsed_url["path"], $options);
if (!empty($message)) {
throw new ImageException("This SVG document references a restricted resource. $message", E_WARNING);
}
}
}
},As you can see from the code snippet above, it respects xlink:href even if href is specified.
$url = $attributes["xlink:href"] ?? $attributes["href"];However, php-svg-lib, which is later used to parse the svg file, parses the href attribute with the following code:
src/Svg/Tag/Image.php line 51-57
if (isset($attributes['xlink:href'])) {
$this->href = $attributes['xlink:href'];
}
if (isset($attributes['href'])) {
$this->href = $attributes['href'];
}Since href is respected if both xlink:href and href is specified, it's possible to bypass the protection on the Dompdf side by providing an empty xlink:href attribute.
Impact
An attacker can exploit the vulnerability to call arbitrary URLs with arbitrary protocols if they provide an SVG file to the Dompdf. In PHP versions before 8.0.0, it leads to arbitrary unserialize, which will lead, at the very least, to arbitrary file deletion and might lead to remote code execution, depending on available classes.
Affected software
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| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Composer package | dompdf/dompdf | >= 2.0.2, < 2.0.3 | 2.0.3 |
References
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-436- Platform
- Composer
- Package
dompdf/dompdf- Disclosed
- 07.02.2023
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 10:22
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-56gj-mvh6-rp75 - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: dompdf/dompdf
All published vulnerabilities of this package (Composer package), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.
- Total entries
- 20
- First → latest
- 04.2022 07.2026
- Without a fix
- 0
- Exploited in attacks
- 0
Severity breakdown
- Critical 5
- High 3
- Medium 10
- Low 2
Disclosures per year
- 2022: 9
- 2023: 3
- 2024: 2
- 2025: 0
- 2026: 6
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URI validation failure on SVG parsing. Bypass of CVE-2023-23924 this entry
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