codeigniter4/framework security advisory

CVE-2026-63221: CodeIgniter: SQL injection in Query Builder deleteBatch() when used with where() conditions

CVE-2026-63221 is a critical-severity SQL injection vulnerability in the PHP package codeigniter4/framework (CVSS 9.4), published 31 July 2026. It is fixed in 4.7.4; earlier versions are affected. It can be exploited without an account.

critical 9.4 published 2026-07-31 · updated 2026-09-08

Affected versions: >= 4.3.0, < 4.7.4
Fixed in: 4.7.4
Newest release: 4.7.6
Severity: Critical · CVSS 9.4
Type: SQL injection
CWE-89
Exploited in the wild: Not on the CISA KEV list
checked 2026-11-04

Is your codeigniter4/framework version affected?

Run composer show codeigniter4/framework in your project, then enter the version. We check it against this and every other known codeigniter4/framework advisory.

Who can exploit CVE-2026-63221

Access: No account. Anyone who can send a request to an app that uses the affected code.

CVSS vector (scored by GitHub): CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:H

Your app is only exposed if it uses the affected part of codeigniter4/framework. The advisory below says which part that is. If you are not sure, upgrade anyway: it costs less than finding out.

How to fix CVE-2026-63221 in codeigniter4/framework

Find the installed version: composer show codeigniter4/framework. If you never required it yourself, composer why codeigniter4/framework shows which package pulls it in.
Update it: composer update codeigniter4/framework --with-all-dependencies. You need 4.7.4 or newer.
If Composer will not go that high, your composer.json constraint is holding it back. Widen it (for example "codeigniter4/framework": "^4.7.4" if you can take that version), or upgrade the package that requires it.
Run composer audit. It reads the same advisory data and should no longer list CVE-2026-63221.
Commit composer.lock and deploy it. On the server, run composer install --no-dev from the lock file, not composer update.

If you cannot upgrade yet

General hardening for SQL injection issues while the upgrade waits. None of it replaces the fix.

Make sure user input never reaches the affected query builder or ORM method unvalidated; allow-list column and sort names.
Give the app's database user only the permissions it needs.
If your app does not use the affected feature, note that in your audit, but still plan the upgrade.

The CVE-2026-63221 advisory

CodeIgniter is a PHP full-stack web framework. From 4.3.0 through 4.7.3, Query Builder deleteBatch() substitutes bound values from where() conditions into generated SQL while ignoring their escape flags, allowing user-controlled condition values to be interpreted as SQL. This affects only the deleteBatch() code path. Regular delete() operations escape where() binds correctly. This issue is fixed in version 4.7.4.

Description from the CVE record, published by GitHub (the CVE Numbering Authority), via the NVD entry for CVE-2026-63221. Advisory title: “CodeIgniter: SQL injection in Query Builder deleteBatch() when used with where() conditions”.

References

GitHub advisory GHSA-c9w5-rwh3-7pm9 github.com
Fix commit f5e463b github.com
Release v4.7.4 github.com

Other codeigniter4/framework advisories

critical CVE-2026-63223: CodeIgniter: Uploaded file extension validation bypass in is_image and mime_in rules 2026-08-07
high CVE-2026-63222: CodeIgniter: Path traversal in UploadedFile::move() when using client-provided filenames 2026-08-07
medium CVE-2026-63220: CodeIgniter: Spoofable forwarded HTTPS headers in IncomingRequest::isSecure() 2026-08-07
critical CVE-2026-48062: CodeIgniter4 has a validation bypass when uploading file extensions via ext_in rule 2026-06-11
critical CVE-2025-54418: CodeIgniter4's ImageMagick Handler has Command Injection Vulnerability 2025-07-28
medium CVE-2025-24013: Missing validation of header name and value in codeigniter4/framework 2025-01-21

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Where this data comes from

Affected and fixed versions: the Packagist security advisories API (GitHub Advisory Database and FriendsOfPHP), the same data composer audit uses. Synced 2026-11-03.
Description, score, weakness and references: NIST National Vulnerability Database (NVD), checked 2026-11-04. This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.
Exploited-in-the-wild status: the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, checked 2026-11-04.
Compiled by Daniel Lasek at Laskyr from the sources above. The summary, “who can exploit it”, “how to fix it” and hardening sections are our plain-English reading of the record and are generated from it. The quoted description is the record's own text. Spot an error? Tell us.