StackShield
Annual Report

State of Laravel Security 2026

What 10,000+ Laravel applications reveal about the current state of web application security.

Published March 2026 by StackShield

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Key Findings

10,000+
Apps analyzed
62/100
Average security score
34%
Have critical issues
89%
Improved with monitoring

Most Common Vulnerabilities

Percentage of Laravel applications affected by each vulnerability type, based on external scans.

Missing security headers
72%
Debug mode enabled
18%
Exposed .env file
12%
Exposed Telescope dashboard
9%
Missing HTTPS redirect
15%
Outdated TLS version
8%
Exposed storage directory
11%
CORS misconfiguration
14%

Security Headers Adoption

How many Laravel applications have each security header configured. CSP and Permissions-Policy remain critically underadopted.

X-Content-Type-Options
68%
X-Frame-Options
61%
Strict-Transport-Security
54%
Referrer-Policy
41%
Content-Security-Policy
22%
Permissions-Policy
14%
Check your own headers →

Critical Exposure Rates

Debug Mode Enabled in Production

18%

Nearly 1 in 5 Laravel apps expose stack traces, env variables, and internal paths via debug mode.

How to fix →

Publicly Accessible .env File

12%

12% of apps leak database passwords, API keys, and encryption secrets via publicly accessible .env files.

How to fix →

Framework Version Distribution

15% of applications still run Laravel 8 or older, which may no longer receive security patches.

38%
31%
16%
15%
Laravel 11
Laravel 10
Laravel 9
Laravel 8 or older

Recommendations

1

Disable debug mode in production

Critical

Set APP_DEBUG=false in your production .env. This single change removes the most common information disclosure vector.

Learn more →
2

Block public access to .env files

Critical

Configure your web server to deny access to dotfiles. Ensure your document root points to the /public directory, not the project root.

Learn more →
3

Implement security headers

High

Add HSTS, X-Frame-Options, X-Content-Type-Options, CSP, and Referrer-Policy. Start with a middleware or server config — most take minutes to add.

Learn more →
4

Keep Laravel updated

High

Run the latest supported Laravel version to receive security patches. Laravel 8 reached end-of-life and no longer receives security fixes.

Learn more →
5

Protect debug tools in production

Medium

Telescope, Horizon, and other debug tools should be gate-protected or disabled entirely in production environments.

Learn more →
6

Monitor continuously, not periodically

Medium

Security configurations change with every deployment. Continuous monitoring catches regressions that annual pentests miss.

Learn more →

About This Report

How was this data collected?

Data was collected from external scans of publicly accessible Laravel applications using non-intrusive techniques — the same standard HTTP requests any browser makes. No private data was accessed. Applications were identified through technology fingerprinting of publicly visible responses.

Is my application included in this study?

All data is aggregated and anonymized. No individual applications are identified or identifiable in this report. The data represents broad trends across the Laravel ecosystem.

How can I check my own application?

Use our free scanner for a quick check, the header checker for a detailed header analysis, or start a free trial for comprehensive continuous monitoring with 30+ security checks.

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