GHSA-6wjw-qf87-fv5v
Laravel Encrypter Failure to decryption vulnerability
Blast Radius
illuminate/encryption🐘illuminate/encryptionReal-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
A potential exploit of the Laravel Encrypter component that may cause the Encrypter to fail on decryption and unexpectedly return false.
To exploit this, the attacker must be able to modify the encrypted payload before it is decrypted. Depending on the code within your application, this could lead to unexpected behavior when combined with weak type comparisons, for example:
<?php
$decyptedValue = decrypt($secret);
if ($decryptedValue == '') {
// Code is run even though decrypted value is false...
}
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐘Packagist | illuminate/encryption | ≥ 5.5.0&&< 5.5.40 | 5.5.40 |
| 🐘Packagist | illuminate/encryption | ≥ 5.6.0&&< 5.6.15 | 5.6.15 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for illuminate/encryption. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update illuminate/encryption to 5.5.40 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-6wjw-qf87-fv5v 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.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether GHSA-6wjw-qf87-fv5v is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to GHSA-6wjw-qf87-fv5v. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-6wjw-qf87-fv5v in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-6wjw-qf87-fv5v across Packagist dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.