CVE-2024-55556: crater · Deserialization of Untrusted Data
Affects craterSource CVE Database V5
Public exploit available (Metasploit) · 43% EPSS · CVSS 9.8 Critical.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 13:47 UTC
- EPSS
- 43.9% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 98% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 7 Jan 2025
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: evidence found.
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.
What to do
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
GitHubcrater-invoice/craterpkg:github/crater-invoice/craterOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.
AI-suggested
To mitigate CVE-2024-55556, organizations should take the following specific actions: 1) Immediately audit and secure the Laravel APP_KEY to ensure it has not been exposed or leaked; rotate the APP_KEY if there is any suspicion of compromise, understanding that this may invalidate existing sessions. 2) Implement strict access controls and monitoring around configuration files and environment variables where the APP_KEY is stored. 3) Apply application-level patches or updates from Crater Invoice or Laravel that address unsafe deserialization or improve session handling security. 4) Consider disabling or restricting the use of serialized data within session cookies or switch to alternative session storage mechanisms that do not rely on client-side encrypted serialized data. 5) Employ Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with rules designed to detect and block suspicious session cookie manipulations. 6) Monitor logs for unusual session activity or repeated failed attempts to decrypt or manipulate session cookies. 7) Educate development and operations teams about the risks of arbitrary deserialization and secure key management best practices. 8) Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing focusing on session management and key protection. These targeted measures go beyond generic advice by focusing on the root cause—protection and management of the APP_KEY and safe handling of serialized session data.
Description
A vulnerability in Crater Invoice allows an unauthenticated attacker with knowledge of the APP_KEY to achieve remote command execution on the server by manipulating the laravel_session cookie, exploiting arbitrary deserialization through the encrypted session data. The exploitation vector of this vulnerability relies on an attacker obtaining Laravel's secret APP_KEY, which would allow them to decrypt and manipulate session cookies (laravel_session) containing serialized data. By altering this data and re-encrypting it with the APP_KEY, the attacker could trigger arbitrary deserialization on the server, potentially leading to remote command execution (RCE). The vulnerability is primarily exploited by accessing an exposed cookie and manipulating it using the secret key to gain malicious access to the server.