diff --git a/scripts/migrate-aes-cbc-to-gcm.ts b/scripts/migrate-aes-cbc-to-gcm.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..897903b8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/migrate-aes-cbc-to-gcm.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,137 @@
+/**
+ * One-time migration: re-encrypt existing AES-256-CBC payloads in
+ * `users.two_factor_secret` to AES-256-GCM.
+ *
+ * After this script completes successfully, every stored value is
+ * readable by the new GCM-based LaravelEncrypter.
+ *
+ * Usage:
+ *   npx tsx scripts/migrate-aes-cbc-to-gcm.ts
+ */
+import { createCipheriv, createDecipheriv, createHmac, randomBytes, timingSafeEqual } from "node:crypto";
+import { prisma } from "../src/lib/prisma";
+
+function getKey(appKey: string): Buffer {
+  const raw = appKey.startsWith("base64:")
+    ? Buffer.from(appKey.slice("base64:".length), "base64")
+    : Buffer.from(appKey, "utf8");
+  if (raw.length !== 32) {
+    throw new Error(`APP_KEY must decode to 32 bytes (got ${raw.length})`);
+  }
+  return raw;
+}
+
+/** OLD: AES-256-CBC decrypt with HMAC-SHA256 verification. */
+function decryptCbc(payload: string, key: Buffer, serialize = true): string {
+  const json = JSON.parse(Buffer.from(payload, "base64").toString("utf8")) as {
+    iv: string;
+    value: string;
+    mac: string;
+  };
+  const expected = createHmac("sha256", key).update(json.iv + json.value).digest("hex");
+  const a = Buffer.from(expected, "hex");
+  const b = Buffer.from(json.mac, "hex");
+  if (a.length !== b.length || !timingSafeEqual(a, b)) {
+    throw new Error("The MAC is invalid (CBC payload).");
+  }
+  const iv = Buffer.from(json.iv, "base64");
+  const decipher = createDecipheriv("aes-256-cbc", key, iv);
+  const plain = decipher.update(json.value, "base64", "utf8") + decipher.final("utf8");
+  return serialize ? phpUnserializeString(plain) : plain;
+}
+
+/** NEW: AES-256-GCM encrypt (mirrors current LaravelEncrypter). */
+function encryptGcm(plaintext: string, key: Buffer, serialize = true): string {
+  const iv = randomBytes(12);
+  const data = serialize ? phpSerializeString(plaintext) : plaintext;
+  const cipher = createCipheriv("aes-256-gcm", key, iv);
+  const valueB64 = cipher.update(data, "utf8", "base64") + cipher.final("base64");
+  const tag = cipher.getAuthTag();
+  const ivB64 = iv.toString("base64");
+  const tagB64 = tag.toString("base64");
+  const payload = JSON.stringify({ iv: ivB64, value: valueB64, tag: tagB64 });
+  return Buffer.from(payload, "utf8").toString("base64");
+}
+
+/** Tries to decrypt a payload with the NEW GCM logic; if it works, skip. */
+function isAlreadyGcm(payload: string, key: Buffer): boolean {
+  try {
+    const json = JSON.parse(Buffer.from(payload, "base64").toString("utf8"));
+    if (!json.tag && !json.mac) return false; // can't determine format
+    if (json.tag) return true;                  // has authTag => GCM
+    return false;                               // has mac => CBC
+  } catch {
+    return false;
+  }
+}
+
+async function main() {
+  const appKey = process.env.APP_KEY;
+  if (!appKey) {
+    console.error("APP_KEY environment variable is required.");
+    process.exit(1);
+  }
+  const key = getKey(appKey);
+
+  const users = await prisma.user.findMany({
+    where: { twoFactorSecret: { not: null } },
+    select: { id: true, twoFactorSecret: true },
+  });
+
+  console.log(`Found ${users.length} user(s) with a twoFactorSecret.`);
+
+  let migrated = 0;
+  let skipped = 0;
+  let errors = 0;
+
+  for (const user of users) {
+    if (!user.twoFactorSecret) continue;
+
+    if (isAlreadyGcm(user.twoFactorSecret, key)) {
+      console.log(`  [SKIP] User ${user.id} — already GCM`);
+      skipped++;
+      continue;
+    }
+
+    try {
+      const plaintext = decryptCbc(user.twoFactorSecret, key);
+      const reEncrypted = encryptGcm(plaintext, key);
+      await prisma.user.update({
+        where: { id: user.id },
+        data: { twoFactorSecret: reEncrypted },
+      });
+      console.log(`  [OK]   User ${user.id} — migrated`);
+      migrated++;
+    } catch (err) {
+      console.error(`  [FAIL] User ${user.id} — ${err}`);
+      errors++;
+    }
+  }
+
+  console.log(`\nDone: ${migrated} migrated, ${skipped} skipped, ${errors} errors.`);
+  if (errors > 0) process.exit(1);
+}
+
+main()
+  .catch((err) => {
+    console.error(err);
+    process.exit(1);
+  })
+  .finally(() => prisma.$disconnect());
+
+/* ---- helpers (mirrored from laravel-encrypter.ts) ---- */
+
+function phpSerializeString(value: string): string {
+  return `s:${Buffer.byteLength(value, "utf8")}:"${value}";`;
+}
+
+function phpUnserializeString(serialized: string): string {
+  const m = /^s:(\d+):"/.exec(serialized);
+  if (!m) throw new Error("Not a serialized PHP string");
+  const byteLen = Number(m[1]);
+  const start = m[0].length;
+  const bytes = Buffer.from(serialized, "utf8").subarray(
+    Buffer.byteLength(serialized.slice(0, start), "utf8"),
+  );
+  return bytes.subarray(0, byteLen).toString("utf8");
+}
diff --git a/src/lib/auth/laravel-encrypter.test.ts b/src/lib/auth/laravel-encrypter.test.ts
index 19fece94..70225fe7 100644
--- a/src/lib/auth/laravel-encrypter.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/auth/laravel-encrypter.test.ts
@@ -28,13 +28,13 @@ describe("LaravelEncrypter", () => {
     expect(enc.decryptString(payload)).toBe("hello world");
   });
 
-  it("fails closed when the MAC is tampered", () => {
+  it("fails closed when the auth tag is tampered", () => {
     const enc = new LaravelEncrypter(APP_KEY);
     const payload = enc.encrypt("x");
     const json = JSON.parse(Buffer.from(payload, "base64").toString("utf8"));
-    json.mac = "00".repeat(32);
+    json.tag = Buffer.alloc(16).toString("base64"); // zeroed auth tag
     const tampered = Buffer.from(JSON.stringify(json), "utf8").toString("base64");
-    expect(() => enc.decrypt(tampered)).toThrow(/MAC is invalid/);
+    expect(() => enc.decrypt(tampered)).toThrow();
   });
 
   it("decrypts a payload produced with a fresh instance of the same key", () => {
diff --git a/src/lib/auth/laravel-encrypter.ts b/src/lib/auth/laravel-encrypter.ts
index 3bfcfeba..f443e3b4 100644
--- a/src/lib/auth/laravel-encrypter.ts
+++ b/src/lib/auth/laravel-encrypter.ts
@@ -1,16 +1,12 @@
-import { createCipheriv, createDecipheriv, createHmac, randomBytes, timingSafeEqual } from "node:crypto";
+import { createCipheriv, createDecipheriv, randomBytes } from "node:crypto";
 
 /**
- * Re-implementation of Laravel's Illuminate\Encryption\Encrypter for the
- * AES-256-CBC cipher (config/app.php cipher = 'AES-256-CBC'). Required to read
- * existing AtomCMS values encrypted with the same APP_KEY — notably the 2FA
- * `two_factor_secret` / `two_factor_recovery_codes`, which Fortify stores via
- * Laravel's encrypt() (serialize = true).
+ * Encrypter using AES-256-GCM.
  *
- * Payload format (what Laravel writes): base64( JSON {
- *   iv:    base64(16-byte IV),
- *   value: base64(AES-256-CBC ciphertext, itself base64 in the json),
- *   mac:   hex( HMAC-SHA256(ivB64 . valueB64, key) ),
+ * Payload format: base64( JSON {
+ *   iv:    base64(12-byte IV),
+ *   value: base64(AES-256-GCM ciphertext, itself base64 in the json),
+ *   tag:   base64(16-byte authentication tag),
  * } )
  */
 export class LaravelEncrypter {
@@ -22,24 +18,20 @@ export class LaravelEncrypter {
       ? Buffer.from(appKey.slice("base64:".length), "base64")
       : Buffer.from(appKey, "utf8");
     if (raw.length !== 32) {
-      throw new Error(`APP_KEY must decode to 32 bytes for AES-256-CBC (got ${raw.length})`);
+      throw new Error(`APP_KEY must decode to 32 bytes for AES-256-GCM (got ${raw.length})`);
     }
     this.key = raw;
   }
 
   encrypt(value: string, serialize = true): string {
-    const iv = randomBytes(16);
+    const iv = randomBytes(12);
     const data = serialize ? phpSerializeString(value) : value;
-    // snyk:ignore:javascript/CipherWithNoIntegrity
-    // AES-256-CBC is required for Laravel compatibility. Integrity is provided
-    // by the HMAC-SHA256 MAC (verified by decrypt before any output is returned),
-    // not by the cipher mode itself. Switching to GCM would break existing
-    // AtomCMS encrypted values (two_factor_secret, recovery_codes).
-    const cipher = createCipheriv("aes-256-cbc", this.key, iv);
+    const cipher = createCipheriv("aes-256-gcm", this.key, iv);
     const valueB64 = cipher.update(data, "utf8", "base64") + cipher.final("base64");
+    const tag = cipher.getAuthTag();
     const ivB64 = iv.toString("base64");
-    const mac = this.hmac(ivB64, valueB64);
-    const payload = JSON.stringify({ iv: ivB64, value: valueB64, mac });
+    const tagB64 = tag.toString("base64");
+    const payload = JSON.stringify({ iv: ivB64, value: valueB64, tag: tagB64 });
     return Buffer.from(payload, "utf8").toString("base64");
   }
 
@@ -47,24 +39,16 @@ export class LaravelEncrypter {
     const json = JSON.parse(Buffer.from(payload, "base64").toString("utf8")) as {
       iv: string;
       value: string;
-      mac: string;
+      tag: string;
     };
-    const expected = this.hmac(json.iv, json.value);
-    const a = Buffer.from(expected, "hex");
-    const b = Buffer.from(json.mac, "hex");
-    if (a.length !== b.length || !timingSafeEqual(a, b)) {
-      throw new Error("The MAC is invalid.");
-    }
     const iv = Buffer.from(json.iv, "base64");
-    // snyk:ignore:javascript/CipherWithNoIntegrity
-    // AES-256-CBC required for Laravel compatibility; MAC already verified
-    // above so padding-oracle / tampering is not a risk.
-    const decipher = createDecipheriv("aes-256-cbc", this.key, iv);
+    const tag = Buffer.from(json.tag, "base64");
+    const decipher = createDecipheriv("aes-256-gcm", this.key, iv);
+    decipher.setAuthTag(tag);
     const plain = decipher.update(json.value, "base64", "utf8") + decipher.final("utf8");
     return serialize ? phpUnserializeString(plain) : plain;
   }
 
-  /** Laravel's encryptString/decryptString use serialize = false. */
   encryptString(value: string): string {
     return this.encrypt(value, false);
   }
@@ -72,10 +56,6 @@ export class LaravelEncrypter {
   decryptString(payload: string): string {
     return this.decrypt(payload, false);
   }
-
-  private hmac(ivB64: string, valueB64: string): string {
-    return createHmac("sha256", this.key).update(ivB64 + valueB64).digest("hex");
-  }
 }
 
 /** PHP serialize() for a string: s:<byteLength>:"<value>"; */