Summary
Laravel RCE vulnerability in "cookie" session driver
Applications using the "cookie" session driver that were also exposing an encryption oracle via their application were vulnerable to remote code execution. An encryption oracle is a mechanism where arbitrary user input is encrypted and the encrypted string is later displayed or exposed to the user. This combination of scenarios lets the user generate valid Laravel signed encryption strings for any plain-text string, thus allowing them to craft Laravel session payloads when an application is using the "cookie" driver.
Impact
GHSA-QM5C-M76R-2HFR has a CVSS score of 9.9 (Critical). The vector is network-reachable, low 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 (6.18.31, 7.22.4); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
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. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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laravel/framework to 6.18.31 or later; laravel/framework to 7.22.4 or later
Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is GHSA-QM5C-M76R-2HFR? GHSA-QM5C-M76R-2HFR is a critical-severity security vulnerability in laravel/framework (composer), affecting versions >= 4.1.0, < 6.18.31. It is fixed in 6.18.31, 7.22.4.
- How severe is GHSA-QM5C-M76R-2HFR? GHSA-QM5C-M76R-2HFR has a CVSS score of 9.9 (Critical). 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.
- Which versions of laravel/framework are affected by GHSA-QM5C-M76R-2HFR? laravel/framework (composer) versions >= 4.1.0, < 6.18.31 is affected.
- Is there a fix for GHSA-QM5C-M76R-2HFR? Yes. GHSA-QM5C-M76R-2HFR is fixed in 6.18.31, 7.22.4. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is GHSA-QM5C-M76R-2HFR exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether GHSA-QM5C-M76R-2HFR 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
- What actually determines whether GHSA-QM5C-M76R-2HFR 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.
- How do I fix GHSA-QM5C-M76R-2HFR?
- Upgrade
laravel/frameworkto 6.18.31 or later - Upgrade
laravel/frameworkto 7.22.4 or later
- Upgrade