Use After Free in PHP

CVE-2026-7261

In PHP versions 8.2.* before 8.2.31, 8.3.* before 8.3.31, 8.4.* before 8.4.21, and 8.5.* before 8.5.6, when SoapServer is configured with SOAP_PERSISTENCE_SESSION, the handler object is persisted across requests via session storage. However, in the case SOAP requests results in an error, the persistance is handled incorrectly, resulting in freeing the object while keeping a pointer to it, which may lead to use-after-free. This may lead to memory corruption, information disclosure, or process crashes, with confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact on the vulnerable system.

Vulnerability class: Use-After-Free

EPSS: 0.003 (22.4th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 9.8 (Critical). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-7261?
CVE-2026-7261 is a critical-severity vulnerability in PHP, classified under Use After Free. CVSS score: 9.8/10. Published 2026-05-10.
How severe is CVE-2026-7261?
Critical severity. CVSS v3 base score is 9.8 out of 10.