The loadContentFromCookie function in core/Cookie.php in Piwik before 0.5 does not validate strings obtained from cookies before calling the unserialize function, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or upload arbitrary files via vectors related to the __destruct function in the Piwik_Config class; php://filter URIs; the __destruct functions in Zend Framework, as demonstrated by the Zend_Log destructor; the shutdown functions in Zend Framework, as demonstrated by the Zend_Log_Writer_Mail class; the render function in the Piwik_View class; Smarty templates; and the _eval function in Smarty.
CVE-2009-4137
- No confirmed exploitation signals yet
No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.
- CVSS v3
- —
- EG Score
- 0.0(none)
- EPSS
- 96.7%
- KEV
- Not listed
Published
December 24, 2009
Last Modified
April 23, 2026
References (16)
- secalert@redhathttp://dev.piwik.org/trac/changeset/1637
- secalert@redhathttp://piwik.org/blog/2009/12/piwik-response-to-shocking-news-in-php-exploitation/
- secalert@redhathttp://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2009/12/09/2
- secalert@redhathttp://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2009/12/10/1
- secalert@redhathttp://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2009/12/14/2
- secalert@redhathttp://www.sektioneins.de/en/advisories/advisory-032009-piwik-cookie-unserialize-vulnerability/
- secalert@redhathttp://www.suspekt.org/2009/12/09/advisory-032009-piwik-cookie-unserialize-vulnerability/
- secalert@redhathttp://www.suspekt.org/downloads/POC2009-ShockingNewsInPHPExploitation.pdf
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://dev.piwik.org/trac/changeset/1637
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://piwik.org/blog/2009/12/piwik-response-to-shocking-news-in-php-exploitation/
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2009/12/09/2
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2009/12/10/1
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2009/12/14/2
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://www.sektioneins.de/en/advisories/advisory-032009-piwik-cookie-unserialize-vulnerability/
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://www.suspekt.org/2009/12/09/advisory-032009-piwik-cookie-unserialize-vulnerability/
Weakness Classification(1)
MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.
Data Freshness Timeline
(refreshed 3× in last 7d / 35× in last 30d)
Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.
- 2026-07-05 02:26 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-05-29 13:17 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-05-29 13:17 UTCGHSA enrichment
- 2026-05-28 13:42 UTCEPSS rescore
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Publicly available exploits
(1 reference)Working exploit code is in the public domain (1 GitHub PoC). Defenders should treat patch urgency accordingly — public PoCs typically lead to mass-exploitation within 24-72 hours.
- GitHub PoCAlexeyan/CVE-2009-4137First seen Nov 28, 2017
Exploit for piwik CVE-2009-4140 RCE
Open source ↗
Related CVEs(same CWE)
Same CWE
10 shownCWE-20
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- CVE-2000-0380NVD 0.0EG 9.0EPSS 98%NONE
- CVE-2000-0258EG 7.5EPSS 97%HIGH
- CVE-2004-2771EG 0.0EPSS 93%NONE
- CVE-2002-2443EG 0.0EPSS 93%NONE
- CVE-2002-2433EG 0.0NONE
- CVE-2003-1569EG 0.0NONE
- CVE-2003-1568EG 0.0NONE
Frequently asked(4)
What is CVE-2009-4137?
When was CVE-2009-4137 disclosed?
Is CVE-2009-4137 actively exploited?
How do I remediate CVE-2009-4137?
Dependency Blast Radius
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