php2shell (CVE-2026-109618, CVE-2026-109619): Frequently asked questions about critical PHP remote code execution vulnerabilities

Two critical PHP remote code execution vulnerabilities will be patched in an emergency release on October 21. Fixes are only expected for supported PHP 8.x branches.Key takeawaysCVE-2026-109618 and CVE-2026-109619 are critical vulnerabilities in PHP, both rated CVSSv4.0 9.2 by the PHP security team. Public reporting describes both as remote code execution vulnerabilities.watchTowr says it believes it has reproduced CVE-2026-109618, and Cloudflare CTO Dane Knecht says the company is seeing early attacks emerging.The patch release is scheduled for October 21, 2026 at 14:00 UTC. Version numbers reported before the release point to PHP 8.5.12, 8.4.27, 8.3.36 and 8.2.35. End-of-life branches are not expected to receive fixes.BackgroundTenable's Research Special Operations (RSO) team has compiled this blog to answer Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) regarding two critical vulnerabilities in PHP that were announced on October 20, 2026.FAQWhen were these PHP vulnerabilities first disclosed?On October 20, 2026, the CVE identifiers circulated on Hacker News and social media. Later that day, the PHP security team published an advance notice of a security release scheduled for October 21 at 14…

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