GHSA-745p-r637-7vvp is a low-severity (CVSS 2.6) CWE-665 vulnerability in codeigniter4/framework. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for codeigniter4/framework — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Codeigniter4's Secure or HttpOnly flag set in Config\Cookie is not reflected in Cookies issued
Exploitation Status
Proof-of-concept exploit code exists
- CISA’s SSVC triage found public proof-of-concept exploit code for this CVE, though no confirmed active exploitation.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for GHSA-745p-r637-7vvp.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
GHSA-745p-r637-7vvp plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 377,636 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
codeigniter4/frameworkReal-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
Setting $secure or $httponly value to true in Config\Cookie is not reflected in set_cookie() or Response::setCookie().
Note This vulnerability does not affect session cookies.
The following code does not issue a cookie with the secure flag even if you set $secure = true in Config\Cookie.
helper('cookie');
$cookie = [
'name' => $name,
'value' => $value,
];
set_cookie($cookie);
// or
$this->response->setCookie($cookie);
Patches
Upgrade to v4.2.7 or later.
Workarounds
- Specify the options explicitly.
helper('cookie'); $cookie = [ 'name' => $name, 'value' => $value, 'secure' => true, 'httponly' => true, ]; set_cookie($cookie); // or $this->response->setCookie($cookie); - Use Cookie object.
use CodeIgniter\Cookie\Cookie; helper('cookie'); $cookie = new Cookie($name, $value); set_cookie($cookie); // or $this->response->setCookie($cookie);
References
- https://codeigniter4.github.io/userguide/helpers/cookie_helper.html#set_cookie
- https://codeigniter4.github.io/userguide/outgoing/response.html#CodeIgniter\HTTP\Response::setCookie
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
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐘Packagist | codeigniter4/framework | all versions | 4.2.7composer require codeigniter4/framework:^4.2.7 |
Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
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 4.2.7 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-745p-r637-7vvp 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 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like GHSA-745p-r637-7vvp can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-745p-r637-7vvp. 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-745p-r637-7vvp in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-745p-r637-7vvp across Packagist dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.