CVE-2023-48708

Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log

Workarounds

Disable logging for successful login attempts by the configuration files.

• AccessTokens or HmacSha256
  • Set Config\AuthToken::$recordLoginAttempt to Auth::RECORD_LOGIN_ATTEMPT_FAILURE or Auth::RECORD_LOGIN_ATTEMPT_NONE
• JWT
  • Set Config\AuthJWT::$recordLoginAttempt to Auth::RECORD_LOGIN_ATTEMPT_FAILURE or Auth::RECORD_LOGIN_ATTEMPT_NONE

References

• https://codeigniter4.github.io/shield/getting_started/authenticators/

For more information

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:

• Open an issue or discussion in codeigniter4/shield
• Email us at [email protected]

If successful login attempts are recorded, the raw tokens are stored in the log table.
If a malicious person somehow views the data in the log table, he or she can obtain a raw token, which can then be used to send a request with that user's authority.

When you (1) use the following authentiactors,

• AccessTokens (tokens)
• JWT (jwt)
• HmacSha256 (hmac)

and you (2) log successful login attempts, the raw tokens are stored.

CVE-2023-48708 has a CVSS score of 5.0 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, high privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (1.0.0-beta.8); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

Already deployed Kodem?

Upgrade to Shield v1.0.0-beta.8 or later.

1. What is CVE-2023-48708? CVE-2023-48708 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in codeigniter4/shield (composer), affecting versions < 1.0.0-beta.8. It is fixed in 1.0.0-beta.8.
2. How severe is CVE-2023-48708? CVE-2023-48708 has a CVSS score of 5.0 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which versions of codeigniter4/shield are affected by CVE-2023-48708? codeigniter4/shield (composer) versions < 1.0.0-beta.8 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2023-48708? Yes. CVE-2023-48708 is fixed in 1.0.0-beta.8. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2023-48708 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-48708 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2023-48708 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
7. How do I fix CVE-2023-48708? Upgrade codeigniter4/shield to 1.0.0-beta.8 or later.

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