CVE-2024-4596
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedA vulnerability was found in Kimai up to 2.15.0 and classified as problematic. Affected by this issue is some unknown functionality of the component Session Handler. The manipulation of the argument PHPSESSIONID leads to information disclosure. The attack may be launched remotely. The complexity of an attack is rather high. The exploitation is known to be difficult. Upgrading to version 2.16.0 is able to address this issue. It is recommended to upgrade the affected component. VDB-263318 is the identifier assigned to this vulnerability.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceA vulnerability in Kimai up to version 2.15.0 in the Session Handler component allows information disclosure through manipulation of the PHPSESSIONID argument. The attack is remote but requires high complexity and is known to be difficult to exploit.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data< 2.16.0CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the installed Kimai versionLocate the version file or check the about page in the Kimai admin interface. Alternatively, check the composer.json or a version indicator file in the web root.Affected if The version is less than 2.16.0 (e.g., 2.15.0, 2.14.x, etc.)
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Confirm PHP session handling is activeCheck if the application serves a PHPSESSIONID cookie to users. Inspect browser cookies after logging into Kimai, or review HTTP response headers for a Set-Cookie header containing PHPSESSIONID.Affected if PHPSESSIONID cookie is being set and used by the application
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Verify session handler configurationReview the PHP configuration (php.ini) or the Kimai configuration for the session handler type in use. Look for session.save_handler settings.Affected if The default PHP session handler is in use without custom secure configuration
You are affected if your Kimai installation is version 2.15.0 or lower and PHP session handling (PHPSESSIONID) is enabled, which is the default configuration for Kimai web deployments.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scoped2.16.0
Upgrade Kimai to version 2.16.0 or later to address the session handling vulnerability that leads to information disclosure.
2.16.0
- Backup your current Kimai installation and database before upgrading
- Ensure your system meets the requirements for Kimai 2.16.0
- Upgrade Kimai to version 2.16.0 using your installation method (e.g., composer update, Docker, or package manager)
- Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the installed version
- Test that the application functions correctly after the upgrade
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-4596 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-4596 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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