---
title: "WEB-PHP-005 PHP Session Cookies Not Hardened"
canonical: https://openvapt.com/checks/WEB-PHP-005.html
html: https://openvapt.com/checks/WEB-PHP-005.html
site: OpenVAPT, https://openvapt.com/
license: OpenVAPT Source-Available Licence 1.3, https://openvapt.com/legal/licence-text.html
modified: 2026-10-14
version: 0.1.0-alpha.6
---

# WEB-PHP-005 PHP Session Cookies Not Hardened

Checks PHP's session settings: HttpOnly and SameSite cookies and strict session id mode.

- Domain: Web Apps
- Severity: Medium
- Control category: Web Application Security
- Fix effort: low
- CVSS v3.1 vector: `CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N`
- CIS Controls v8: 16.7
- NIST CSF 2.0: PR.PS-01
- CWE: CWE-1004, CWE-384
- OWASP Top 10 2021: A07:2021
- OWASP ASVS 4.0.3: 3.4.2, 3.2.1
- OWASP WSTG v4.2: WSTG-SESS-02, WSTG-SESS-03
- NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5: SC-23, CM-6

## Why It Matters

Session cookies are the keys to logged-in accounts. Without HttpOnly any XSS bug can steal them; without strict mode PHP accepts attacker-chosen session ids (session fixation).

## How It Detects

Asks the PHP command-line binary for ini_get('session.cookie_httponly'), ini_get('session.use_strict_mode') and ini_get('session.cookie_samesite'). PHP-FPM pools may use a different php.ini; verify those too.

## How to Fix

In php.ini set  session.cookie_httponly = 1 ,  session.use_strict_mode = 1 ,  session.cookie_samesite = Lax  and, for HTTPS sites,  session.cookie_secure = 1 , then restart PHP-FPM.

## How to Verify

```
php -r "echo ini_get('session.cookie_httponly'), ini_get('session.use_strict_mode'), ini_get('session.cookie_samesite');"
```

## Learn the Theory

- [P5 Web Security Headers and Cookies](https://openvapt.com/academy/p5.md)
- [P6 Information Exposure and Misconfiguration](https://openvapt.com/academy/p6.md)

## References

- [PHP manual, php.ini directives](https://www.php.net/manual/en/ini.list.php)
- [PHP manual, Session security](https://www.php.net/manual/en/session.security.php)

## Source Code

https://github.com/OpenVAPT/openvapt/blob/574f7f3333c44b75a3c649e2d93a76d507f75adf/internal/checks/web/php.go

Run it: `openvapt scan --only WEB-PHP-005`. Read it offline: `openvapt explain WEB-PHP-005`.

---

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