How severe is CVE-2022-21647?

CVE-2022-21647 has a CVSS score of 7.7/10, rated HIGH. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2022-21647?

CVE-2022-21647 affects the following packages: codeigniter4/framework (Packagist). Ecosystems affected: Packagist.

How do I fix CVE-2022-21647?

Update codeigniter4/framework to 4.1.6 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2022-21647 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2022-21647 in my Packagist dependencies?

Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for codeigniter4/framework, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.

How do I mitigate CVE-2022-21647 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

Until you can upgrade, make sure every query built from user input uses parameterised statements or a prepared-statement API rather than string concatenation, and reduce the database account's privileges so an injected query cannot read or alter data beyond what the feature needs.

Is CVE-2022-21647 actively exploited in the wild?

No public exploit code has been indexed for CVE-2022-21647 yet. This does not mean the vulnerability cannot be exploited — absence of public exploits does not imply safety. Apply the recommended fix and use O3 Security to monitor your exposure.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2022-21647?

CVE-2022-21647 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 37.7%, placing it in the 99th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. This score warrants monitoring and prompt remediation.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2022-21647?

CVE-2022-21647 is classified as Deserialization of Untrusted Data (CWE-502). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation. This is a high-impact weakness class that often enables remote code execution or data exposure.

When was CVE-2022-21647 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2022-21647 was published on January 4, 2022 and was last updated on August 12, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

🐘

🐘 Packagist

Not in CISA KEV

HIGH severity

CVE-2022-21647 — framework

HIGHFix: codeigniter4/CodeIgniter4@ce95ed5

CVE-2022-21647 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.7) Deserialization of Untrusted Data vulnerability in codeigniter4/framework. EPSS puts its 30-day exploitation probability at 37.7% (99th percentile). A fix is available for codeigniter4/framework — see the affected versions and patch details below.

Deserialization of Untrusted Data in Codeigniter4

Also known asBIT-codeigniter-2022-21647GHSA-w6jr-wj64-mc9x

Published

Jan 4, 2022

Updated

Aug 12, 2026

Affected

1 pkg

Patched

1 / 1

Exploits

None indexed

Exploitation data as of Oct 7, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

Exploitation Status

No confirmed exploitation observed yet

CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.

Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2022-21647.

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

37.7%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Moderate Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs99th percentile — riskier than 99% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.

How urgent is this, really

CVE-2022-21647 by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.

Where this sits among everything scored

Of 385,386 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the 10–50% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.

Real-World Exposure

1 pkg affected

🐘codeigniter4/framework

Real-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

Impact

Deserialization of Untrusted Data was found in the old() function in CodeIgniter4. Remote attackers may inject auto-loadable arbitrary objects with this vulnerability, and possibly execute existing PHP code on the server. We are aware of a working exploit, which can lead to SQL injection.

Patches

Upgrade to v4.1.6 or later.

Workarounds

Do not use:

old() and form_helper
RedirectResponse::withInput() and redirect()->withInput()

References

PHP Object Injection | OWASP

For more information

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:

Open an issue in codeigniter4/CodeIgniter4
Email us at SECURITY.md

Affected Packages

1 total 1 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
🐘Packagist	`codeigniter4/framework`	all versions	4.1.6`composer require codeigniter4/framework:^4.1.6`

Affected Products

1 product · 1 configurations

Application

codeignitercodeigniter

≥ 4.0.0 && < 4.1.6

range

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for codeigniter4/framework, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update codeigniter4/framework to 4.1.6 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2022-21647 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Until you can upgrade, make sure every query built from user input uses parameterised statements or a prepared-statement API rather than string concatenation, and reduce the database account's privileges so an injected query cannot read or alter data beyond what the feature needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

### Impact Deserialization of Untrusted Data was found in the `old()` function in CodeIgniter4. Remote attackers may inject auto-loadable arbitrary objects with this vulnerability, and possibly execute existing PHP code on the server. We are aware of a working exploit, which can lead to SQL injection. ### Patches Upgrade to v4.1.6 or later. ### Workarounds Do not use: - `old()` and form_helper - `RedirectResponse::withInput()` and `redirect()->withInput()` ### References - [PHP Object Injection | OWASP](https://owasp.org/www-community/vulnerabilities/PHP_Object_Injection) ### For more inf