CVE-2016-4793 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.5) Improper Input Validation vulnerability in cakephp/cakephp. 3 public exploit or proof-of-concept references are indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for cakephp/cakephp — see the affected versions and patch details below.
CakePHP allows remote attackers to spoof their IP
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
Where this sits among everything scored
Real-World Exposure
cakephp/cakephp🐘cakephp/cakephp🐘cakephp/cakephp🐘cakephp/cakephp🐘cakephp/cakephp🐘cakephp/cakephpReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Packagist packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
The clientIp function in CakePHP 3.2.4 and earlier allows remote attackers to spoof their IP via the CLIENT-IP HTTP header.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐘Packagist | cakephp/cakephp | ≥ 1.2.0&&< 2.6.13 | 2.6.13composer require cakephp/cakephp:^2.6.13 |
| 🐘Packagist | cakephp/cakephp | ≥ 2.7.0-rc1&&< 2.7.11 | 2.7.11composer require cakephp/cakephp:^2.7.11 |
| 🐘Packagist | cakephp/cakephp | ≥ 2.8.0-rc1&&< 2.8.2 | 2.8.2composer require cakephp/cakephp:^2.8.2 |
| 🐘Packagist | cakephp/cakephp | ≥ 3.0.0-rc1&&< 3.0.17 | 3.0.17composer require cakephp/cakephp:^3.0.17 |
| 🐘Packagist | cakephp/cakephp | ≥ 3.1.0-beta1&&< 3.1.12 | 3.1.12composer require cakephp/cakephp:^3.1.12 |
| 🐘Packagist | cakephp/cakephp | ≥ 3.2.0-rc1&&< 3.2.5 | 3.2.5composer require cakephp/cakephp:^3.2.5 |
Affected Products
cakephpcakephpResearch use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
CakePHP Framework 3.2.4 - IP Spoofing
by Dawid Golunski · May 16, 2016
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for cakephp/cakephp, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update cakephp/cakephp to 2.6.13 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2016-4793 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
Fixing This On Your OS
If you run this on a Linux distribution, patch through your package manager against the distro's own security advisory below — it tracks the exact backported fix for your release, which can ship on a different timeline (and sometimes a different severity) than the upstream project.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2016-4793 in your dependencies?
Find it across Packagist, including transitive dependencies.