CVE-2023-26481
9.1 · CRITICALOverview
CVE-2023-26481 is a critical-severity vulnerability affecting goauthentik authentik. It was published on March 4, 2023 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.1 (CRITICAL).
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.1, rated CRITICAL. It can be exploited remotely over the network. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.
Technical Description
authentik is an open-source Identity Provider. Due to an insufficient access check, a recovery flow link that is created by an admin (or sent via email by an admin) can be used to set the password for any arbitrary user. This attack is only possible if a recovery flow exists, which has both an Identification and an Email stage bound to it. If the flow has policies on the identification stage to skip it when the flow is restored (by checking `request.context['is_restored']`), the flow is not affected by this. With this flow in place, an administrator must create a recovery Link or send a recovery URL to the attacker, who can, due to the improper validation of the token create, set the password for any account. Regardless, for custom recovery flows it is recommended to add a policy that checks if the flow is restored, and skips the identification stage. This issue has been fixed in versions 2023.2.3, 2023.1.3 and 2022.12.2.
Remediation
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from goauthentik. Update authentik to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| goauthentik | authentik | >= 0, < 2022.12.3 | Affected |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2023-26481?
CVE-2023-26481 is a critical-severity vulnerability affecting goauthentik authentik. It was published on March 4, 2023 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.1 (CRITICAL).
How severe is CVE-2023-26481?
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.1, rated CRITICAL. It can be exploited remotely over the network. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.
How do I fix or remediate CVE-2023-26481?
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from goauthentik. Update authentik to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2023-26481?
CyberStrike's AI-powered security agents can automatically detect CVE-2023-26481 across your infrastructure using autonomous pentesting, DAST scanning, and HackBrowser. The platform continuously monitors for known vulnerabilities and provides actionable remediation guidance prioritized by real-world exploitability.
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