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Check Point Confirms PHP2Shell Breaches: Which Fixes to Verify

A breach chain targeting Check Point gateways via PHP2Shell and local privilege escalation has been disclosed. Confirmed Jumbo Hotfixes for four branches and recommended administrator safety measures.

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Illustration: A man with a magnifying glass inspects a closed network device on a desk.
In this article

On November 12, 2026, Check Point reported successful breaches of unpatched Security Gateways. Attackers used PHP2Shell to gain access through Mobile Access, then exploited a separate local vulnerability to obtain root privileges. If such a gateway protects access to your server infrastructure, instruct your administrator to verify the November Jumbo Hotfix and check for signs of a prior intrusion. Updating standard PHP on a website does not replace the fix required for the network device.

What the Vendor Confirmed

In the described chain, initial access was enabled by CVE-2026-109618 and CVE-2026-109619 in PHP. Subsequently, a local DynamicCLI error, CVE-2026-123039, allowed privilege escalation to root—the highest system rights—enabling persistence on the device. These are two distinct stages: the presence of a previously installed PHP patch alone does not confirm that the new local vulnerability has been remediated.

According to Check Point, about two dozen unpatched systems in one region were compromised in the observed incidents. The vendor describes the activity from October 30 to November 4. Its investigation distinguishes the first wave targeting Israeli organizations, which included destructive actions in some cases, from a broader wave of attempts starting November 2. Attempts in several countries do not confirm successful breaches of all these organizations. The new disclosure occurred on November 12, not the start of the attacks today.

Which branches and patches to check

In the CheckMates advisory, the vendor specifies CVE-2026-123039 for Management, Multi-Domain, Log Servers, and Security Gateway versions from R80.30 to R82.20. The table below lists only four branches for which we verified official notes on cumulative patches released on November 12. Each of the listed packages contains fixes for both PHP vulnerabilities and CVE-2026-123039.

Check Point branch

Verified Jumbo Hotfix

R81.20

Take 174

R82

Take 132

R82.10

Take 52

R82.20

Take 14

Take is the release number of the cumulative patch within its branch. Take 174 for R81.20 cannot be compared to Take 14 for R82.20 as newer or older. This is also not a SmartConsole build number. The absence of an older branch in the table does not mean it is secure: you must clarify the applicable package or supported update path with Check Point.

A separate procedure applies to Spark: CheckMates reports that these devices are not affected by the new DynamicCLI vulnerability but are affected by PHP2Shell. The vendor recommends applying the latest GA release of Spark according to its instructions. The four packages in the table are intended for the R81.20, R82, R82.10, and R82.20 branches. These packages must not be applied to Spark devices. The administrator must confirm the exact fixed Spark build for their specific model via the vendor notification.

Tasks for the administrator

  • Compile a list of devices and management nodes: role, model, branch, installed Jumbo Hotfix; separately identify Mobile Access accessible from the internet. Check Point recommends updating these first.
  • Select a package specifically for your branch and platform. Check the package availability status and critical vendor notes, prepare a backup, define the maintenance window, and establish a recovery procedure. Do not automatically assume any new Take is recommended for all configurations.
  • After the work, confirm the actually installed Jumbo Hotfix on each node, then verify management access and used VPN scenarios. An updated management console alone does not prove that all gateways have been updated.
  • Separately assess signs of a potential prior breach. Before cleaning or overwriting, preserve available logs and information on suspicious files and processes; if suspicions arise, engage a response specialist.

The vendor emphasizes: absence of matches with published indicators does not rule out compromise, while a match requires investigation. The patch closes the vulnerability but does not confirm removal of access already established by an attacker. If remediation is not yet possible, coordinate temporary measures with Check Point support: universal service disabling or changing network rules without assessing consequences can disrupt management and employee access.

Information verified on November 13, 2026, at 18:05 MSK. The full scale of the campaign and the attacker's attribution remain unconfirmed. The material does not confirm the status of a specific gateway or General iT infrastructure.

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