RCE in Xdebug

CVE-2015-10141

An unauthenticated OS command injection vulnerability exists within Xdebug versions 2.5.5 and earlier, a PHP debugging extension developed by Derick Rethans. When remote debugging is enabled, Xdebug listens on port 9000 and accepts debugger protocol commands without authentication. An attacker can send a crafted eval command over this interface to execute arbitrary PHP code, which may invoke system-level functions such as system() or passthru(). This results in full compromise of the host under the privileges of the web server user.

Vulnerability class: Command Injection (OS Command Injection)

EPSS: 0.050 (91.4th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

Public proof-of-concept exploits

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2015-10141?
CVE-2015-10141 is a vulnerability in Xdebug, classified under OS Command Injection. Published 2025-07-23.
Is CVE-2015-10141 known to be exploited?
8 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.