9.1

CVE-2023-26481: Insufficient user check in FlowTokens by Email stage

Modified
Published 04-03-2023Last modified 25-02-2025

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2023-26481 is a critical (CVSS 9.1) vulnerability in goauthentik authentik. EPSS estimates a 0.27% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 19.9% of scored vulnerabilities.

Priority
Prioritisesevere

Severe, CVSS 9.1 (CVE.org); no exploitation reported by the 5 checked sources; EPSS 0% (FIRST, 03-11-2026)

Source freshness unavailable

How is this decided?
CVSS score
9.1/10
010
Critical · v3.1 (CVE.org)
EPSS score
0.27%
0%100%
Low · 0.00 pp in 30 days
KEVNot listedNot listed by any tracked catalog.
RansomwareNot flaggedNo ransomware use recorded.
Public exploits0No public exploits recorded

Timeline

  1. 04-03-2023
    PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
  2. 25-02-2025
    Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.

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.

CVSS metrics

2 scores · 2 sources · 1 version

EPSS trend

Probability

0.27%

Chance of exploitation in the next 30 days

Percentile

20%

Versus all other CVEs

30-day change

No change 0.00 pp

From 0.27% on 04-10-2026

04-10-202603-11-2026

Known exploited

Compare KEV catalogs
CISA KEV

Not in the CISA KEV catalog.

ENISA CNW

Not in the ENISA CNW catalog.

CIRCL

Not in the CIRCL catalog.

Public exploits

0 found

No public exploits indexed.

Weaknesses

CWE · root cause

Affected systems

Version check

Known conditions: network-reachable, administrative account, no user interaction (CVSS vector). Other conditions: not stated in public data.

Goauthentik1 product
  • authentik< 2023.2.3 | < 2023.1.3 | < 2022.12.2 | < 2022.12.3 | > 2023.1.0, ≤ 2023.1.3 | > 2023.2.0, ≤ 2023.2.3

1 vendor · 1 product

References

2 links