GHSA-JQWH-526H-C92J
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2026-07-24 15:46 – Updated: 2026-07-24 15:46Impact
The Kiota PHP code generator is vulnerable to a code generation literal injection attack. The generator embeds string values from OpenAPI fields (e.g. description, default values, and property names) directly into PHP double-quoted string literals without properly escaping the $ character. Since PHP evaluates string interpolation expressions like "${expr}", "$var", and "{$obj->prop}" within double-quoted strings at runtime, an attacker who controls an OpenAPI specification file can inject arbitrary PHP code into generated model and request-builder classes.
Who is impacted
Developers using Kiota to generate PHP API clients from external or untrusted OpenAPI specifications
Teams with CI/CD pipelines configured to automatically regenerate client code from remote specs
Applications that deploy generated PHP code to production servers
Vulnerability details
Affected component: StringExtensions.cs
Root cause: The shared SanitizeDoubleQuote() function in Writers/StringExtensions.cs does not escape the $ character. As a result, any schema-derived string emitted as a PHP double-quoted literal preserves $-prefixed interpolation constructs (${...}, $var, {$...}) verbatim, which PHP evaluates at runtime instead of treating as literal text. This is the same class of code-generation literal-injection flaw previously fixed for the Ruby generator (# interpolation), recurring here as a missed variant for PHP's $ interpolation in the sibling sanitizer helper.
Attack vectors
OpenAPI description and default fields in schema properties
Property wire-name keys embedded in deserializer/serializer methods
Any schema-derived string embedded in PHP double-quoted literals
Severity: Critical when generated code reaches production; High for CI/CD environments with access to production secrets; Medium for public third-party specs; Low for developer-controlled specs.
Patches
Workarounds
If you cannot upgrade immediately:
- Audit and sanitize OpenAPI specifications: Review all OpenAPI specification files for any descriptions, default values, or property names containing the
$character. Remove or replace any suspicious strings before code generation. - Code review of generated files: Implement mandatory code review of all generated PHP files before merging into any branch. Look for double-quoted strings containing
${,$var, or{$patterns. - Restrict specification sources: Only consume OpenAPI specifications from trusted internal sources. Avoid automatic code generation from external or third-party APIs until this patch is applied.
- Isolate generated code from production: Do not deploy generated PHP models to production environments unless the specification source has been verified and reviewed.
- Manual escaping (temporary): If regeneration is not possible, manually inspect and edit generated files to escape any
$characters in double-quoted string literals (replace$with\$).
Remediation
Upgrade Kiota to 1.32.4 or later.
Regenerate/refresh existing generated clients as a precaution:
Refreshing generated clients ensures previously generated vulnerable code is replaced with hardened output.
{
"affected": [
{
"package": {
"ecosystem": "NuGet",
"name": "Microsoft.OpenApi.Kiota"
},
"ranges": [
{
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0"
},
{
"fixed": "1.32.4"
}
],
"type": "ECOSYSTEM"
}
]
},
{
"package": {
"ecosystem": "NuGet",
"name": "Microsoft.OpenApi.Kiota.Builder"
},
"ranges": [
{
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0"
},
{
"fixed": "1.32.4"
}
],
"type": "ECOSYSTEM"
}
]
}
],
"aliases": [
"CVE-2026-59859"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-94"
],
"github_reviewed": true,
"github_reviewed_at": "2026-07-24T15:46:46Z",
"nvd_published_at": "2026-07-16T15:16:35Z",
"severity": "HIGH"
},
"details": "# Impact\n\nThe Kiota PHP code generator is vulnerable to a code generation literal injection attack. The generator embeds string values from OpenAPI fields (e.g. `description`, default values, and property names) directly into PHP double-quoted string literals without properly escaping the `$` character. Since PHP evaluates string interpolation expressions like `\"${expr}\"`, `\"$var\"`, and `\"{$obj-\u003eprop}\"` within double-quoted strings at runtime, an attacker who controls an OpenAPI specification file can inject arbitrary PHP code into generated model and request-builder classes.\n\n# Who is impacted\n\nDevelopers using Kiota to generate PHP API clients from external or untrusted OpenAPI specifications\n\nTeams with CI/CD pipelines configured to automatically regenerate client code from remote specs\n\nApplications that deploy generated PHP code to production servers\n\n# Vulnerability details\n\nAffected component: `StringExtensions.cs`\n\nRoot cause: The shared `SanitizeDoubleQuote()` function in `Writers/StringExtensions.cs` does not escape the `$` character. As a result, any schema-derived string emitted as a PHP double-quoted literal preserves `$`-prefixed interpolation constructs (`${...}`, `$var`, `{$...}`) verbatim, which PHP evaluates at runtime instead of treating as literal text. This is the same class of code-generation literal-injection flaw previously fixed for the Ruby generator (`#` interpolation), recurring here as a missed variant for PHP\u0027s `$` interpolation in the sibling sanitizer helper.\n\n# Attack vectors\n\nOpenAPI `description` and default fields in schema properties\n\nProperty wire-name keys embedded in deserializer/serializer methods\n\nAny schema-derived string embedded in PHP double-quoted literals\n\nSeverity: Critical when generated code reaches production; High for CI/CD environments with access to production secrets; Medium for public third-party specs; Low for developer-controlled specs.\n\n# Patches\n\n[#7863](https://github.com/microsoft/kiota/pull/7863)\n\n# Workarounds\n\nIf you cannot upgrade immediately:\n\n1. Audit and sanitize OpenAPI specifications: Review all OpenAPI specification files for any descriptions, default values, or property names containing the `$` character. Remove or replace any suspicious strings before code generation.\n2. Code review of generated files: Implement mandatory code review of all generated PHP files before merging into any branch. Look for double-quoted strings containing `${`, `$var`, or `{$` patterns.\n3. Restrict specification sources: Only consume OpenAPI specifications from trusted internal sources. Avoid automatic code generation from external or third-party APIs until this patch is applied.\n4. Isolate generated code from production: Do not deploy generated PHP models to production environments unless the specification source has been verified and reviewed.\n5. Manual escaping (temporary): If regeneration is not possible, manually inspect and edit generated files to escape any `$` characters in double-quoted string literals (replace `$` with `\\$`).\n\n# Remediation\n\nUpgrade Kiota to 1.32.4 or later.\n\nRegenerate/refresh existing generated clients as a precaution:\n\nRefreshing generated clients ensures previously generated vulnerable code is replaced with hardened output.",
"id": "GHSA-jqwh-526h-c92j",
"modified": "2026-07-24T15:46:46Z",
"published": "2026-07-24T15:46:46Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://github.com/microsoft/kiota/security/advisories/GHSA-jqwh-526h-c92j"
},
{
"type": "ADVISORY",
"url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-59859"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://github.com/microsoft/kiota/pull/7863"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://github.com/microsoft/kiota/commit/5e2a211ac4261988fbdc72c3b268596ea8837b87"
},
{
"type": "PACKAGE",
"url": "https://github.com/microsoft/kiota"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://github.com/microsoft/kiota/releases/tag/v1.32.4"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": [
{
"score": "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N",
"type": "CVSS_V4"
}
],
"summary": "Microsoft Kiota: Code Generation Literal Injection in Kiota PHP Generator"
}
Sightings
| Author | Source | Type | Date | Other |
|---|
Nomenclature
- Seen: The vulnerability was mentioned, discussed, or observed by the user.
- Confirmed: The vulnerability has been validated from an analyst's perspective.
- Published Proof of Concept: A public proof of concept is available for this vulnerability.
- Exploited: The vulnerability was observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
- Patched: The vulnerability was observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.
- Not exploited: The vulnerability was not observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
- Not confirmed: The user expressed doubt about the validity of the vulnerability.
- Not patched: The vulnerability was not observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.