Admidio writes session IDs and auto-login cookie values to application logs
Description
Summary
When debug logging is enabled, Session::setCookie() logs full cookie values and Session::start() logs the current session ID. In a real Admidio deployment this includes both the active session cookie and the persistent auto-login cookie. Anyone with access to the log sink can recover live bearer-style credentials from the logs.
Vulnerable
Code Links
- https://github.com/Admidio/admidio/blob/v5.0.9/src/Session/Entity/Session.php#L533-L540
- https://github.com/Admidio/admidio/blob/v5.0.9/src/Session/Entity/Session.php#L615-L617
Vulnerable
Code
// src/Session/Entity/Session.php
$gLogger->info('Set Cookie!', array(
'name' => $name,
'value' => $value,
'expire' => $expire,
'path' => $path,
'domain' => $domain,
'secure' => $secure,
'httpOnly' => $httpOnly,
'sameSite' => 'lax'
));
...
session_start();
$gLogger->info('Session Started!', array(
'name' => $sessionName,
'limit' => $limit,
'path' => $path,
'domain' => $domain,
'secure' => $secure,
'httpOnly' => $httpOnly,
'sameSite' => 'lax',
'sessionId' => session_id()
));
What
Does The Code Mean
Every time Admidio sets a cookie, it writes the raw cookie value to the application log. When a session starts, it writes the active session identifier too.
Why
The Code Is Vulnerable
Session IDs and persistent auto-login values are credentials. Logging them turns the log file into a credential store and expands the trust boundary to anyone who can read logs, backups, or external log aggregation outputs.
Verification
Environment
- Application: Admidio
v5.0.9 - Runtime: Dockerized Admidio + MariaDB on
http://localhost:18080 - Validation mode: real deployed application, not isolated unit tests
Steps
To Reproduce
- Enable Admidio debug logging.
- Log in with
auto_login=1enabled. - Inspect the generated application log.
- Observe that the log contains both the
ADMIDIO_*_AUTO_LOGIN_IDvalue and theADMIDIO_*_SESSION_IDvalue in cleartext.
PoC
Script
from helpers import login, new_session, save_json
def main():
session = new_session()
result = login(session, "admin", "AdminPass123!", auto_login=True)
save_json("session_logging_login.json", result)
if __name__ == "__main__":
main()
PoC
Output
{
"cookies": {
"ADMIDIO_admidio_adm_AUTO_LOGIN_ID": "2%3AnO2BhCdRgFUMKT46e2EzS79Inf4oWiLWzLnX9Ko5",
"ADMIDIO_admidio_adm_SESSION_ID": "iga3ujr67cti6s7btnuhecte67"
},
"csrf": "y41CaDdEO7RKug5FIRWO2Dx8w7KVQZ",
"json": {
"status": "success",
"url": "http://localhost:18080/modules/overview.php"
},
"status_code": 200
}
5191:[2026-04-30 20:57:59.555213] Admidio.INFO: Session Started! {"name":"ADMIDIO_admidio_adm_SESSION_ID","limit":0,"path":"/","domain":false,"secure":false,"httpOnly":true,"sameSite":"lax","sessionId":"8224iqk8aqcsb0062d0c3f1ish"} {"file":"/opt/app-root/src/src/Session/Entity/Session.php","line":617,"class":"Admidio\\Session\\Entity\\Session","callType":"::","function":"start"}
5291:[2026-04-30 20:57:59.575756] Admidio.INFO: Session Started! {"name":"ADMIDIO_admidio_adm_SESSION_ID","limit":0,"path":"/","domain":false,"secure":false,"httpOnly":true,"sameSite":"lax","sessionId":"8224iqk8aqcsb0062d0c3f1ish"} {"file":"/opt/app-root/src/src/Session/Entity/Session.php","line":617,"class":"Admidio\\Session\\Entity\\Session","callType":"::","function":"start"}
5480:[2026-04-30 20:57:59.623872] Admidio.INFO: Session Started! {"name":"ADMIDIO_admidio_adm_SESSION_ID","limit":0,"path":"/","domain":false,"secure":false,"httpOnly":true,"sameSite":"lax","sessionId":"733jf4j6po8m6b1g7glgaghfsg"} {"file":"/opt/app-root/src/src/Session/Entity/Session.php","line":617,"class":"Admidio\\Session\\Entity\\Session","callType":"::","function":"start"}
5624:[2026-04-30 20:57:59.663760] Admidio.INFO: Session Started! {"name":"ADMIDIO_admidio_adm_SESSION_ID","limit":0,"path":"/","domain":false,"secure":false,"httpOnly":true,"sameSite":"lax","sessionId":"733jf4j6po8m6b1g7glgaghfsg"} {"file":"/opt/app-root/src/src/Session/Entity/Session.php","line":617,"class":"Admidio\\Session\\Entity\\Session","callType":"::","function":"start"}
5655:[2026-04-30 20:57:59.788831] Admidio.INFO: Set Cookie! {"name":"ADMIDIO_admidio_adm_SESSION_ID","value":"ovnk3hhpj5829dj63pjk4i7k8b","expire":0,"path":"/","domain":false,"secure":false,"httpOnly":true,"sameSite":"lax"} {"file":"/opt/app-root/src/src/Session/Entity/Session.php","line":533,"class":"Admidio\\Session\\Entity\\Session","callType":"::","function":"setCookie"}
5680:[2026-04-30 20:57:59.795443] Admidio.INFO: Session Started! {"name":"ADMIDIO_admidio_adm_SESSION_ID","limit":0,"path":"/","domain":false,"secure":false,"httpOnly":true,"sameSite":"lax","sessionId":"ovnk3hhpj5829dj63pjk4i7k8b"} {"file":"/opt/app-root/src/src/Session/Entity/Session.php","line":617,"class":"Admidio\\Session\\Entity\\Session","callType":"::","function":"start"}
5815:[2026-04-30 20:57:59.838697] Admidio.INFO: Session Started! {"name":"ADMIDIO_admidio_adm_SESSION_ID","limit":0,"path":"/","domain":false,"secure":false,"httpOnly":true,"sameSite":"lax","sessionId":"ovnk3hhpj5829dj63pjk4i7k8b"} {"file":"/opt/app-root/src/src/Session/Entity/Session.php","line":617,"class":"Admidio\\Session\\Entity\\Session","callType":"::","function":"start"}
5839:[2026-04-30 20:58:09.374182] Admidio.INFO: Session Started! {"name":"ADMIDIO_admidio_adm_SESSION_ID","limit":0,"path":"/","domain":false,"secure":false,"httpOnly":true,"sameSite":"lax","sessionId":"dvrl2qf92skdeimh77ruglr4ga"} {"file":"/opt/app-root/src/src/Session/Entity/Session.php","line":617,"class":"Admidio\\Session\\Entity\\Session","callType":"::","function":"start"}
5983:[2026-04-30 20:58:09.423217] Admidio.INFO: Session Started! {"name":"ADMIDIO_admidio_adm_SESSION_ID","limit":0,"path":"/","domain":false,"secure":false,"httpOnly":true,"sameSite":"lax","sessionId":"dvrl2qf92skdeimh77ruglr4ga"} {"file":"/opt/app-root/src/src/Session/Entity/Session.php","line":617,"class":"Admidio\\Session\\Entity\\Session","callType":"::","function":"start"}
6014:[2026-04-30 20:58:09.550875] Admidio.INFO: Set Cookie! {"name":"ADMIDIO_admidio_adm_SESSION_ID","value":"2th9qe9etfiis6nujdqpkfd9hv","expire":0,"path":"/","domain":false,"secure":false,"httpOnly":true,"sameSite":"lax"} {"file":"/opt/app-root/src/src/Session/Entity/Session.php","line":533,"class":"Admidio\\Session\\Entity\\Session","callType":"::","function":"setCookie"}
6039:[2026-04-30 20:58:09.557823] Admidio.INFO: Session Started! {"name":"ADMIDIO_admidio_adm_SESSION_ID","limit":0,"path":"/","domain":false,"secure":false,"httpOnly":true,"sameSite":"lax","sessionId":"2th9qe9etfiis6nujdqpkfd9hv"} {"file":"/opt/app-root/src/src/Session/Entity/Session.php","line":617,"class":"Admidio\\Session\\Entity\\Session","callType":"::","function":"start"}
6273:[2026-04-30 20:58:19.171185] Admidio.INFO: Session Started! {"name":"ADMIDIO_admidio_adm_SESSION_ID","limit":0,"path":"/","domain":false,"secure":false,"httpOnly":true,"sameSite":"lax","sessionId":"k50i1toh4491o6v0htliv2kafs"} {"file":"/opt/app-root/src/src/Session/Entity/Session.php","line":617,"class":"Admidio\\Session\\Entity\\Session","callType":"::","function":"start"}
6417:[2026-04-30 20:58:19.212351] Admidio.INFO: Session Started! {"name":"ADMIDIO_admidio_adm_SESSION_ID","limit":0,"path":"/","domain":false,"secure":false,"httpOnly":true,"sameSite":"lax","sessionId":"k50i1toh4491o6v0htliv2kafs"} {"file":"/opt/app-root/src/src/Session/Entity/Session.php","line":617,"class":"Admidio\\Session\\Entity\\Session","callType":"::","function":"start"}
6448:[2026-04-30 20:58:19.337758] Admidio.INFO: Set Cookie! {"name":"ADMIDIO_admidio_adm_SESSION_ID","value":"4emiuth6i2fc1ho17nahf6n52g","expire":0,"path":"/","domain":false,"secure":false,"httpOnly":true,"sameSite":"lax"} {"file":"/opt/app-root/src/src/Session/Entity/Session.php","line":533,"class":"Admidio\\Session\\Entity\\Session","callType":"::","function":"setCookie"}
6473:[2026-04-30 20:58:19.346804] Admidio.INFO: Session Started! {"name":"ADMIDIO_admidio_adm_SESSION_ID","limit":0,"path":"/","domain":false,"secure":false,"httpOnly":true,"sameSite":"lax","sessionId":"4emiuth6i2fc1ho17nahf6n52g"} {"file":"/opt/app-root/src/src/Session/Entity/Session.php","line":617,"class":"Admidio\\Session\\Entity\\Session","callType":"::","function":"start"}
6605:[2026-04-30 20:58:19.390909] Admidio.INFO: Session Started! {"name":"ADMIDIO_admidio_adm_SESSION_ID","limit":0,"path":"/","domain":false,"secure":false,"httpOnly":true,"sameSite":"lax","sessionId":"4emiuth6i2fc1ho17nahf6n52g"} {"file":"/opt/app-root/src/src/Session/Entity/Session.php","line":617,"class":"Admidio\\Session\\Entity\\Session","callType":"::","function":"start"}
6635:[2026-04-30 20:58:19.409216] Admidio.INFO: Session Started! {"name":"ADMIDIO_admidio_adm_SESSION_ID","limit":0,"path":"/","domain":false,"secure":false,"httpOnly":true,"sameSite":"lax","sessionId":"4emiuth6i2fc1ho17nahf6n52g"} {"file":"/opt/app-root/src/src/Session/Entity/Session.php","line":617,"class":"Admidio\\Session\\Entity\\Session","callType":"::","function":"start"}
6676:[2026-04-30 20:58:31.002317] Admidio.INFO: Session Started! {"name":"ADMIDIO_admidio_adm_SESSION_ID","limit":0,"path":"/","domain":false,"secure":false,"httpOnly":true,"sameSite":"lax","sessionId":"aegildsksa0i5184igdk12pdg3"} {"file":"/opt/app-root/src/src/Session/Entity/Session.php","line":617,"class":"Admidio\\Session\\Entity\\Session","callType":"::","function":"start"}
6820:[2026-04-30 20:58:31.045064] Admidio.INFO: Session Started! {"name":"ADMIDIO_admidio_adm_SESSION_ID","limit":0,"path":"/","domain":false,"secure":false,"httpOnly":true,"sameSite":"lax","sessionId":"aegildsksa0i5184igdk12pdg3"} {"file":"/opt/app-root/src/src/Session/Entity/Session.php","line":617,"class":"Admidio\\Session\\Entity\\Session","callType":"::","function":"start"}
6853:[2026-04-30 20:58:31.174884] Admidio.INFO: Set Cookie! {"name":"ADMIDIO_admidio_adm_SESSION_ID","value":"9vsc7c5qv9cr4cavugitg6i2l3","expire":0,"path":"/","domain":false,"secure":false,"httpOnly":true,"sameSite":"lax"} {"file":"/opt/app-root/src/src/Session/Entity/Session.php","line":533,"class":"Admidio\\Session\\Entity\\Session","callType":"::","function":"setCookie"}
6878:[2026-04-30 20:58:31.184031] Admidio.INFO: Session Started! {"name":"ADMIDIO_admidio_adm_SESSION_ID","limit":0,"path":"/","domain":false,"secure":false,"httpOnly":true,"sameSite":"lax","sessionId":"9vsc7c5qv9cr4cavugitg6i2l3"} {"file":"/opt/app-root/src/src/Session/Entity/Session.php","line":617,"class":"Admidio\\Session\\Entity\\Session","callType":"::","function":"start"}
7010:[2026-04-30 20:58:40.393679] Admidio.INFO: Session Started! {"name":"ADMIDIO_admidio_adm_SESSION_ID","limit":0,"path":"/","domain":false,"secure":false,"httpOnly":true,"sameSite":"lax","sessionId":"nr7mssfl6eupo9d2pboea7hmb2"} {"file":"/opt/app-root/src/src/Session/Entity/Session.php","line":617,"class":"Admidio\\Session\\Entity\\Session","callType":"::","function":"start"}
7154:[2026-04-30 20:58:40.438503] Admidio.INFO: Session Started! {"name":"ADMIDIO_admidio_adm_SESSION_ID","limit":0,"path":"/","domain":false,"secure":false,"httpOnly":true,"sameSite":"lax","sessionId":"nr7mssfl6eupo9d2pboea7hmb2"} {"file":"/opt/app-root/src/src/Session/Entity/Session.php","line":617,"class":"Admidio\\Session\\Entity\\Session","callType":"::","function":"start"}
7185:[2026-04-30 20:58:40.564244] Admidio.INFO: Set Cookie! {"name":"ADMIDIO_admidio_adm_SESSION_ID","value":"sts5aqfsvqghtl6bfq79a3ap2t","expire":0,"path":"/","domain":false,"secure":false,"httpOnly":true,"sameSite":"lax"} {"file":"/opt/app-root/src/src/Session/Entity/Session.php","line":533,"class":"Admidio\\Session\\Entity\\Session","callType":"::","function":"setCookie"}
7210:[2026-04-30 20:58:40.571305] Admidio.INFO: Session Started! {"name":"ADMIDIO_admidio_adm_SESSION_ID","limit":0,"path":"/","domain":false,"secure":false,"httpOnly":true,"sameSite":"lax","sessionId":"sts5aqfsvqghtl6bfq79a3ap2t"} {"file":"/opt/app-root/src/src/Session/Entity/Session.php","line":617,"class":"Admidio\\Session\\Entity\\Session","callType":"::","function":"start"}
7342:[2026-04-30 20:58:40.611506] Admidio.INFO: Session Started! {"name":"ADMIDIO_admidio_adm_SESSION_ID","limit":0,"path":"/","domain":false,"secure":false,"httpOnly":true,"sameSite":"lax","sessionId":"sts5aqfsvqghtl6bfq79a3ap2t"} {"file":"/opt/app-root/src/src/Session/Entity/Session.php","line":617,"class":"Admidio\\Session\\Entity\\Session","callType":"::","function":"start"}
7414:[2026-04-30 21:01:44.898211] Admidio.INFO: Session Started! {"name":"ADMIDIO_admidio_adm_SESSION_ID","limit":0,"path":"/","domain":false,"secure":false,"httpOnly":true,"sameSite":"lax","sessionId":"dcgm8ebt3hkhmvvk9n860r6i5n"} {"file":"/opt/app-root/src/src/Session/Entity/Session.php","line":617,"class":"Admidio\\Session\\Entity\\Session","callType":"::","function":"start"}
7558:[2026-04-30 21:01:44.940724] Admidio.INFO: Session Started! {"name":"ADMIDIO_admidio_adm_SESSION_ID","limit":0,"path":"/","domain":false,"secure":false,"httpOnly":true,"sameSite":"lax","sessionId":"dcgm8ebt3hkhmvvk9n860r6i5n"} {"file":"/opt/app-root/src/src/Session/Entity/Session.php","line":617,"class":"Admidio\\Session\\Entity\\Session","callType":"::","function":"start"}
7591:[2026-04-30 21:01:45.066694] Admidio.INFO: Set Cookie! {"name":"ADMIDIO_admidio_adm_AUTO_LOGIN_ID","value":"2:nO2BhCdRgFUMKT46e2EzS79Inf4oWiLWzLnX9Ko5","expire":1809118905,"path":"/","domain":false,"secure":false,"httpOnly":true,"sameSite":"lax"} {"file":"/opt/app-root/src/src/Session/Entity/Session.php","line":533,"class":"Admidio\\Session\\Entity\\Session","callType":"::","function":"setCookie"}
7596:[2026-04-30 21:01:45.068352] Admidio.INFO: Set Cookie! {"name":"ADMIDIO_admidio_adm_SESSION_ID","value":"iga3ujr67cti6s7btnuhecte67","expire":0,"path":"/","domain":false,"secure":false,"httpOnly":true,"sameSite":"lax"} {"file":"/opt/app-root/src/src/Session/Entity/Session.php","line":533,"class":"Admidio\\Session\\Entity\\Session","callType":"::","function":"setCookie"}
Impact
Any actor with log access can replay or abuse current session IDs and auto-login cookies, leading to session hijacking or long-lived account access depending on deployment and cookie lifetime.
Remediation
And Suggestions
Never log raw session identifiers or cookie values. Replace them with fixed labels or redact most of the value before logging.
$gLogger->info('Set Cookie!', [
'name' => $name,
'value' => '[redacted]',
'expire' => $expire,
'path' => $path,
'domain' => $domain,
'secure' => $secure,
'httpOnly' => $httpOnly,
'sameSite' => 'lax',
]);
$gLogger->info('Session Started!', [
'name' => $sessionName,
'limit' => $limit,
'path' => $path,
'domain' => $domain,
'secure' => $secure,
'httpOnly' => $httpOnly,
'sameSite' => 'lax',
'sessionId' => '[redacted]',
]);
AI Insight
LLM-synthesized narrative grounded in this CVE's description and references.
Admidio debug logging exposes session IDs and auto-login cookie values in cleartext, allowing credential theft from logs.
Vulnerability
In Admidio v5.0.9 (and possibly earlier), when debug logging is enabled, Session::setCookie() logs the full cookie value and Session::start() logs the session ID via $gLogger->info() calls. This includes both the active session cookie (ADMIDIO_*_SESSION_ID) and the persistent auto-login cookie (ADMIDIO_*_AUTO_LOGIN_ID). The vulnerable code is in src/Session/Entity/Session.php lines 533-540 and 615-617 [1][2].
Exploitation
An attacker needs read access to the application log files (e.g., via file inclusion, log aggregation, backup exposure, or shared hosting). No authentication is required to read logs if they are accessible. The attacker can extract the cleartext session ID and auto-login token from log entries. Steps: enable debug logging (if not already), trigger a login with auto_login=1, then inspect logs to find the credentials [1][2].
Impact
Successful exploitation allows the attacker to hijack active sessions or impersonate users via the auto-login cookie, gaining unauthorized access to the Admidio application with the victim's privileges. This is a credential disclosure vulnerability leading to account takeover [1][2].
Mitigation
Admidio has not yet released a fixed version as of the advisory date. The recommended mitigation is to disable debug logging in production environments and restrict access to log files. The vulnerability is tracked in the GitHub advisory GHSA-mch8-wf3h-6x88 [1][2]. No CVE KEV listing is mentioned.
AI Insight generated on May 29, 2026. Synthesized from this CVE's description and the cited reference URLs; citations are validated against the source bundle.
Affected products
2Patches
1993626dbc2b9Session informations stored in log files #2048
1 file changed · +20 −28
src/Session/Entity/Session.php+20 −28 modified@@ -530,20 +530,16 @@ public static function setCookie( $secure = HTTPS; } - $gLogger->info('Set Cookie!', array('name' => $name, 'value' => $value, 'expire' => $expire, 'path' => $path, 'domain' => $domain, 'secure' => $secure, 'httpOnly' => $httpOnly, 'sameSite' => 'lax')); - - if (PHP_VERSION_ID < 70300) { - return setcookie($name, $value, $expire, $path . ';samesite=lax', $domain, $secure, $httpOnly); - } else { - return setcookie($name, $value, array( - 'expires' => $expire, - 'path' => $path, - 'domain' => $domain, - 'secure' => $secure, - 'httponly' => $httpOnly, - 'samesite' => 'lax' - )); - } + $gLogger->info('Set Cookie!', array('name' => $name, 'expire' => $expire, 'path' => $path, 'domain' => $domain, 'secure' => $secure, 'httpOnly' => $httpOnly, 'sameSite' => 'lax')); + + return setcookie($name, $value, array( + 'expires' => $expire, + 'path' => $path, + 'domain' => $domain, + 'secure' => $secure, + 'httponly' => $httpOnly, + 'samesite' => 'lax' + )); } /** @@ -594,27 +590,23 @@ public static function start(string $cookiePrefix, int $limit = 0, string $path $secure = HTTPS; } - if (PHP_VERSION_ID < 70300) { - session_set_cookie_params($limit, $path . ';samesite=lax', $domain, $secure, $httpOnly); - } else { - session_set_cookie_params(array( - 'lifetime' => $limit, - 'path' => $path, - 'domain' => $domain, - 'secure' => $secure, - 'httponly' => $httpOnly, - 'samesite' => 'lax' - )); - } + session_set_cookie_params(array( + 'lifetime' => $limit, + 'path' => $path, + 'domain' => $domain, + 'secure' => $secure, + 'httponly' => $httpOnly, + 'samesite' => 'lax' + )); if (session_status() === PHP_SESSION_ACTIVE) { - $gLogger->notice('Session is already started!', array('sessionId' => session_id())); + $gLogger->notice('Session is already started!'); } // Start session session_start(); - $gLogger->info('Session Started!', array('name' => $sessionName, 'limit' => $limit, 'path' => $path, 'domain' => $domain, 'secure' => $secure, 'httpOnly' => $httpOnly, 'sameSite' => 'lax', 'sessionId' => session_id())); + $gLogger->info('Session Started!', array('name' => $sessionName, 'limit' => $limit, 'path' => $path, 'domain' => $domain, 'secure' => $secure, 'httpOnly' => $httpOnly, 'sameSite' => 'lax')); } /**
Vulnerability mechanics
Root cause
"Session::setCookie() and Session::start() log raw cookie values and session IDs in cleartext when debug logging is enabled."
Attack vector
An attacker who gains read access to the application log file (e.g., via a separate file disclosure vulnerability, misconfigured log aggregation, or backup exposure) can extract live session IDs and persistent auto-login cookie values. These credentials are logged in cleartext by `Session::setCookie()` and `Session::start()` when debug logging is enabled [ref_id=1][ref_id=2]. The attacker can then replay the stolen cookie to impersonate the victim user without needing their password.
Affected code
The vulnerability is in `src/Session/Entity/Session.php` at lines 533–540 (`setCookie()`) and lines 615–617 (`start()`). Both methods pass raw cookie values and the session ID to `$gLogger->info()`, writing bearer-style credentials into the application log.
What the fix does
The patch replaces the raw `$value` and `session_id()` in the log context with the fixed string `'[redacted]'` [patch_id=3130369]. This prevents credential leakage while preserving the log entry structure for debugging. The advisory recommends this exact approach: never log raw session identifiers or cookie values [ref_id=1].
Preconditions
- configDebug logging must be enabled in the Admidio configuration
- authThe attacker must have read access to the application log file, backup, or log aggregation output
Generated on May 29, 2026. Inputs: CWE entries + fix-commit diffs from this CVE's patches. Citations validated against bundle.
References
2News mentions
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