CVE-2018-12071: Codeigniter/framework CodeIgniter Session Fixation Vulnerability Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-g434-3q2j-hj4r
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-384
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-12071 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) codeigniter session fixation vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-384: Session Fixation) affecting Codeigniter/framework libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves codeigniter session fixation vulnerability. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.1.10.

CVE-2018-12071 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-12071
GHSA Identifier GHSA-g434-3q2j-hj4r
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-384: Session Fixation
Affected Product Codeigniter/framework
Package Ecosystem Packagist
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2018-12071

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Codeigniter/framework dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

codeigniter/framework fixed: 3.1.10 
Upgrade codeigniter/framework to 3.1.10
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

inspect dependencies for codeigniter/framework

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2018-12071, inspect your project dependencies for Codeigniter/framework:

inspect dependencies for codeigniter/framework

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Codeigniter/framework in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.1.10), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-384: Session Fixation, where authenticating a user, or otherwise establishing a new user session, without invalidating any existing session identifier gives an attacker the opportunity to steal authenticated sessions. In Codeigniter/framework, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

A Session Fixation issue exists in CodeIgniter before 3.1.10 because `session.use_strict_mode` in the Session Library was mishandled.

CVE-2018-12071 Affected Codeigniter/framework Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.1.10
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
codeigniter/framework
 Packagist
< 3.1.10
3.1.10

References

NVD — CVE-2018-12071 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-12071
Codeigniter/framework Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/bcit-ci/CodeIgniter/issues/5958
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/bcit-ci/CodeIgniter/commit/800a20d6c4662d99ae0988b2f8f2238bb8bb29db
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/bcit-ci/CodeIgniter/commit/a9da3dd2f16a8f97d7bc4ff5572b28e4bb84c813#diff-32788a4d3748e8818044886ab43241179c7f5f5b82e979e73146669ca6e2da1cR306
Codeigniter/framework Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/bcit-ci/CodeIgniter
web.archive.org/web/20181115214804/... WEB
https://web.archive.org/web/20181115214804/https://www.codeigniter.com/user_guide/changelog.html#version-3-1-9
www.codeigniter.com/user_guide/changelo... WEB
https://www.codeigniter.com/user_guide/changelog.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-12071?
CVE-2018-12071 is a security vulnerability in Codeigniter/framework involving CodeIgniter Session Fixation Vulnerability under CWE-384: Session Fixation.
Which Codeigniter/framework versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.1.10 across affected packages: codeigniter/framework.
What version fixes CVE-2018-12071?
Upgrading to 3.1.10 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is codeigniter/framework affected?
Yes, codeigniter/framework is affected in releases prior to 3.1.10. Upgrade your dependency to 3.1.10 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-12071?
CVE-2018-12071 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-12071?
CVE-2018-12071 is classified under CWE-384: Session Fixation (Authenticating a user, or otherwise establishing a new user session, without invalidating any existing session identifier gives an attacker the opportunity to steal authenticated sessions.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2018-12071?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for codeigniter/framework'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-g434-3q2j-hj4r",
  "modified" : "2025-06-17T14:02:38Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-14T03:08:36Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-12071" ],
  "summary" : "CodeIgniter Session Fixation Vulnerability",
  "details" : "A Session Fixation issue exists in CodeIgniter before 3.1.10 because `session.use_strict_mode` in the Session Library was mishandled.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "codeigniter/framework"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.1.10"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-12071"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/bcit-ci/CodeIgniter/issues/5958"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/bcit-ci/CodeIgniter/commit/800a20d6c4662d99ae0988b2f8f2238bb8bb29db"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/bcit-ci/CodeIgniter/commit/a9da3dd2f16a8f97d7bc4ff5572b28e4bb84c813#diff-32788a4d3748e8818044886ab43241179c7f5f5b82e979e73146669ca6e2da1cR306"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/bcit-ci/CodeIgniter"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20181115214804/https://www.codeigniter.com/user_guide/changelog.html#version-3-1-9"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.codeigniter.com/user_guide/changelog.html"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-384" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-07-25T21:28:58Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2018-06-17T20:29:00Z"
  }
}