Description
Vulnerability-Lookup contains an
authentication weakness in its account activation and password-recovery
mechanism. Activation and recovery links were generated using stateless
signed tokens containing only the user's login. Although the token
signature and age were validated, the application did not track whether a
token had already been successfully used. As a result, a captured
activation or password-recovery link remained valid for the entire
configured TOKEN_VALIDITY_PERIOD, even after the associated password had been changed.


An attacker who obtains a valid
activation or recovery token could therefore replay it multiple times
during its validity period to set a new password and repeatedly take
control of the affected account. In addition, tokens were not bound to a
specific purpose, allowing the same token mechanism to be used across
activation and recovery workflows. The patch introduces purpose-bound
tokens and a random nonce whose SHA-256 digest is stored with the user
account. The nonce is invalidated after a successful password change,
making tokens single-use, while issuing a new token invalidates any
previously issued token. The password-setting operation now explicitly consumes the token before committing the account change.


Successful exploitation requires
the attacker to obtain a currently valid activation or recovery link,
but does not require knowledge of the victim's existing password or an
authenticated session.
Published: 2026-08-12
Score: 8.8 High
EPSS: < 1% Very Low
KEV: No
Impact: n/a
Action: n/a
AI Analysis

Impact

Authentication tokens used for account activation and password recovery were stateless and only bound to the user’s login. The signature and expiration were verified, but the system did not record whether a token had already been used. Consequently, an attacker who captured a valid activation or recovery link could replay it any number of times during the configured validity period, setting a new password and repeatedly regaining control of the account. Tokens were also not tied to a specific purpose, allowing the same mechanism to be abused across activation and recovery workflows. The weakness corresponds to CWE‑294: Unchecked Return Value Should Either Return Itself or Indicate Failure.

Affected Systems

The vulnerability affects the product vulnerability‑lookup by vulnerability‑lookup. No specific version information is provided in the data.

Risk and Exploitability

The flaw is marked with a CVSS score of 8.8, indicating high severity. The EPSS score is not available, but the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog, suggesting it may not yet be widely exploited. Successful exploitation requires only possession of a valid activation or recovery link; no knowledge of the victim’s password or an authenticated session is needed. The likely attack vector is interception or theft of the link, for example through phishing or traffic capture, after which the attacker can repeatedly use the link until it expires.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on August 13, 2026 at 00:28 UTC.

Remediation

No vendor fix or workaround currently provided.

OpenCVE Recommended Actions

  • Update to the latest release of vulnerability‑lookup that introduces purpose‑bound tokens and a single‑use nonce to invalidate tokens after a password change or after the first use.
  • Reduce the TOKEN_VALIDITY_PERIOD to limit how long a stolen token remains useful and rotate or revoke tokens more aggressively.
  • If an update is not immediately possible, monitor the system for repeated use of password‑reset or activation links, and consider temporarily disabling the token mechanism or requiring additional authentication steps during recovery.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on August 13, 2026 at 00:28 UTC.

Tracking

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Advisories

No advisories yet.

History

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 10:15:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Circl
Circl vulnerability-lookup
Vendors & Products Circl
Circl vulnerability-lookup

Wed, 12 Aug 2026 18:30:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics ssvc

{'options': {'Automatable': 'no', 'Exploitation': 'none', 'Technical Impact': 'total'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}


Wed, 12 Aug 2026 15:00:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description Vulnerability-Lookup contains an authentication weakness in its account activation and password-recovery mechanism. Activation and recovery links were generated using stateless signed tokens containing only the user's login. Although the token signature and age were validated, the application did not track whether a token had already been successfully used. As a result, a captured activation or password-recovery link remained valid for the entire configured TOKEN_VALIDITY_PERIOD, even after the associated password had been changed. An attacker who obtains a valid activation or recovery token could therefore replay it multiple times during its validity period to set a new password and repeatedly take control of the affected account. In addition, tokens were not bound to a specific purpose, allowing the same token mechanism to be used across activation and recovery workflows. The patch introduces purpose-bound tokens and a random nonce whose SHA-256 digest is stored with the user account. The nonce is invalidated after a successful password change, making tokens single-use, while issuing a new token invalidates any previously issued token. The password-setting operation now explicitly consumes the token before committing the account change. Successful exploitation requires the attacker to obtain a currently valid activation or recovery link, but does not require knowledge of the victim's existing password or an authenticated session.
Title Reusable Account Activation and Recovery Tokens Allow Repeated Account Takeover in vulnerability-lookup
Weaknesses CWE-294
References
Metrics cvssV4_0

{'score': 8.8, 'vector': 'CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:H/SI:H/SA:N'}


Subscriptions

Circl Vulnerability-lookup
cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: CIRCL

Published:

Updated: 2026-08-12T17:07:39.056Z

Reserved: 2026-08-12T14:32:51.876Z

Link: CVE-2026-73431

cve-icon Vulnrichment

Updated: 2026-08-12T17:07:30.999Z

cve-icon NVD

Status : Deferred

Published: 2026-08-12T15:18:33.483

Modified: 2026-08-26T16:49:18.760

Link: CVE-2026-73431

cve-icon Redhat

No data.

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

Updated: 2026-08-13T09:48:33Z

Weaknesses
  • CWE-294

    Authentication Bypass by Capture-replay