CVE-2024-33851VulnerabilityPublished 27 Apr 2024Updated 4 Nov 2024

CVE-2024-33851: phpecc · n/a

Affects phpeccSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 4.3 Medium : upgrade to 2.0.1 when convenient.

Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

4.3Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.4% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 34% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 2.0.1

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: None
Integrity: Low
Availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: Low: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide basic user capabilities that could normally affect only settings and files owned by a user. Alternatively, an attacker with Low privileges may have the ability to cause an impact only to non-sensitive resources.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the impacted component.
Integrity: Low: Modification of data is possible, but the attacker does not have control over the consequence of a modification, or the amount of modification is limited. The data modification does not have a direct, serious impact on the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 27 Apr 2024
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-25.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade paragonie/phpecc to 2.0.1.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
GitHubparagonie/phpecc`pkg:github/paragonie/phpecc`Other threats	Affected <2.0.1	Fixed in 2.0.1

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2024-33851, organizations should upgrade the paragonie/phpecc library to version 2.0.1 or later, where the timing leak has been addressed. If immediate upgrading is not feasible, consider implementing constant-time cryptographic operations or using alternative ECC libraries with proven side-channel resistance. Restrict access to systems and applications using phpecc to minimize the attacker's ability to measure timing differences, such as limiting network exposure and enforcing strict privilege separation. Employ network-level protections like rate limiting and anomaly detection to identify suspicious timing analysis attempts. Additionally, conduct code audits and penetration testing focused on side-channel vulnerabilities in cryptographic components. Monitoring for updates from the phpecc maintainers and applying patches promptly is critical. Finally, educate developers and security teams about timing side-channel risks and secure coding practices in cryptographic implementations.

Description

phpecc, as used in paragonie/phpecc before 2.0.1, has a branch-based timing leak in Point addition. (This is related to phpecc/phpecc on GitHub, and the Matyas Danter ECC library.)

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2024-33851 is on the integrity of cryptographic operations relying on phpecc. An attacker exploiting the timing leak could gradually recover private keys or other sensitive ECC parameters, compromising the security of encrypted communications, digital signatures, or authentication mechanisms. This could lead to unauthorized data manipulation, impersonation, or bypassing of security controls. Since the vulnerability does not affect confidentiality or availability directly, the immediate risk is lower than critical cryptographic flaws but remains significant for systems relying on ECC for security. Organizations using phpecc in web applications, APIs, or cryptographic services may face increased risk of targeted attacks, especially if attackers have some level of access to measure timing precisely. The absence of known exploits suggests limited current exploitation, but the vulnerability could be leveraged in high-value or targeted attacks against organizations using vulnerable versions.

References

github.com/paragonie/phpecc/releases/tag/v2.0.1 (opens in a new tab)

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