CVE-2014-9426: The apprentice_load function in libmagic/apprentice.c in the Fileinfo component in PHP through 5.6.4 attemp...

Security readout for executives and security teams

This CVE describes a possible crash condition in PHP's Fileinfo component when loading magic database data. The reported impact is denial of service through memory corruption or application crash, with only unspecified other impact. The PHP vendor disputed the issue, saying normal erealloc behavior makes the problematic free operation unreachable. Potentially exposed systems are legacy PHP deployments using Fileinfo, especially applications that inspect untrusted uploaded files. The provided affected list is not specific beyond the description's PHP through 5.6.4 statement, so exposure should be validated by package and vendor advisory records. Treat this as a legacy-platform hygiene issue rather than an emergency unless vulnerable PHP/Fileinfo systems still process untrusted files. Prioritize upgrade or decommissioning of PHP 5.x assets and confirm whether vendor packages already backported the relevant changes. Mitigation focus: Inventory PHP runtimes and Fileinfo usage across production and legacy systems.; Upgrade PHP or distribution packages according to vendor guidance.; Check distro advisories, including openSUSE-SU-2015:0325, for backported fixes..

Prepared

May 24, 2026, 09:54 UTC (UTC+00:00)

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.