GHSA-9952-gv64-x94c is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.8) OS Command Injection vulnerability in codeigniter4/framework. A fix is available for codeigniter4/framework — see the affected versions and patch details below.
CodeIgniter4's ImageMagick Handler has Command Injection Vulnerability
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
- 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 GHSA-9952-gv64-x94c.
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-9952-gv64-x94c 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 378,567 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
This vulnerability affects applications that:
- Use the ImageMagick handler for image processing (
imagickas the image library) - AND either:
- Allow file uploads with user-controlled filenames and process uploaded images using the
resize()method - OR use the
text()method with user-controlled text content or options
- Allow file uploads with user-controlled filenames and process uploaded images using the
An attacker can:
- Upload a file with a malicious filename containing shell metacharacters that get executed when the image is processed
- OR provide malicious text content or options that get executed when adding text to images
Patches
Upgrade to v4.6.2 or later.
Workarounds
- Switch to the GD image handler (
gd, the default handler), which is not affected by either vulnerability - For file upload scenarios: Instead of using user-provided filenames, generate random names to eliminate the attack vector with
getRandomName()when using themove()method, or use thestore()method, which automatically generates safe filenames - For text operations: If you must use ImageMagick with user-controlled text, sanitize the input to only allow safe characters:
preg_replace('/[^a-zA-Z0-9\s.,!?-]/', '', $text)and validate/restrict text options
References
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐘Packagist | codeigniter4/framework | all versions | 4.6.2composer require codeigniter4/framework:^4.6.2 |
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 4.6.2 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-9952-gv64-x94c 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-9952-gv64-x94c can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-9952-gv64-x94c. 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-9952-gv64-x94c in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-9952-gv64-x94c across Packagist dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.