GMS-2023-4600: Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in HMAC SHA256 Authentication

Impact

secretKey, an important key for HMAC SHA256 authentication, was stored in the database in raw 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 person.

Patches

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

After upgrading, all existing secret keys must be encrypted. See https://github.com/codeigniter4/shield/blob/develop/UPGRADING.md for details.

Workarounds

None.

References

• https://codeigniter4.github.io/shield/references/authentication/hmac/

For more information

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:

• Open an issue or discussion in codeigniter4/shield
• Email us at security@codeigniter.com