CVE-2023-48707 | Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in codeigniter4/shield

CodeIgniter Shield is an authentication and authorization provider for CodeIgniter 4. The `secretKey` value is an important key for HMAC SHA256 authentication and in affected versions was stored in the database in cleartext form. If a malicious person somehow had access to the data in the database, they could use the key and secretKey for HMAC SHA256 authentication to send requests impersonating that corresponding user. This issue has been addressed in version 1.0.0-beta.8. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.

Published: 2023-11-24 Last update: 2024-11-21 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2023-48707 is rated Low Risk (27.2/100): CVSS Medium severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.28%). Monitor for updates and reassess as exploit intelligence or EPSS changes.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2023-48707

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-15 0.05% 0.28% +0.23%
2 2024-10-24 0.04% 0.05% +0.01%
3 2023-11-25 — 0.04% —

Full EPSS history (3 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2023-48707

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
5.0 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
Privileges required (PR:H)
They need powerful rights—admin, root, or similar—before this pays off.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:L)
Attackers could change some data, but it’s limited—not everything goes.
Availability (A:N)
Service keeps running; no real outage angle.
 0.7 4.2 [email protected]
6.5 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:N)
Service keeps running; no real outage angle.
 2.8 3.6 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2023-48707

GitHub Security Advisory for CVE-2023-48707

GHSA-v427-c49j-8w6x · Severity: medium · Ecosystem: composer — Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in HMAC SHA256 Authentication

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2023-48707

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
codeigniter shield 1.0.0 cpe:2.3:a:codeigniter:shield:1.0.0:beta:*:*:*:*:*:*
codeigniter shield 1.0.0 cpe:2.3:a:codeigniter:shield:1.0.0:beta2:*:*:*:*:*:*
codeigniter shield 1.0.0 cpe:2.3:a:codeigniter:shield:1.0.0:beta3:*:*:*:*:*:*
codeigniter shield 1.0.0 cpe:2.3:a:codeigniter:shield:1.0.0:beta4:*:*:*:*:*:*
codeigniter shield 1.0.0 cpe:2.3:a:codeigniter:shield:1.0.0:beta5:*:*:*:*:*:*
codeigniter shield 1.0.0 cpe:2.3:a:codeigniter:shield:1.0.0:beta6:*:*:*:*:*:*
codeigniter shield 1.0.0 cpe:2.3:a:codeigniter:shield:1.0.0:beta7:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2023-48707

cvelogic Threat Intelligence