php2shell: Deep Dive into Pre-Auth Remote Code Execution in PHP Core (CVE-2026-109618 / 109619)
Dual critical pre-authentication vulnerabilities in PHP core allow unauthenticated remote code execution across PHP-FPM, Apache mod_php, and embedded web appliances through heap cleanup corruption and cross-request worker state reuse.
On October 21, 2026, the PHP development team and CERT-EU disclosed two critical pre-authentication vulnerabilities (tracked as CVE-2026-109618 and CVE-2026-109619, dubbed 'php2shell'). Because the flaw triggers in the core SAPI / Zend Engine request handler before application-level authentication executes, any exposed PHP endpoint—regardless of whether it hosts custom code, WordPress, or enterprise management consoles—is vulnerable to unauthenticated remote code execution.