Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessObtain low-privilege account or control an SSO identity provider
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DeliveryCraft unbound SAML assertion or exploit domain verification parsing mismatch
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ExploitSubmit malformed SSO authentication request to vulnerable @better-auth/sso endpoint
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ExecutionBypass authentication binding checks
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PersistReceive session token for arbitrary target user
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ImpactAchieve full account takeover
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A05:2025 - Injection
ASVS 5.0
V1 - Encoding and Sanitization Output encoding, context-aware escaping
MITRE ATT&CK
2 techniques across 2 tactics: Initial Access, Execution The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires the target application to have the @better-auth/sso plugin installed and actively configured with at least one SSO identity provider. The CVSS 4.0 PR:L metric confirms the attacker must possess at minimum a low-privilege presence in the system (e.g., a valid registered account or access to a linked identity provider). Four distinct exploitation paths exist with differing sub-conditions: the SAML unbound assertion path requires a SAML provider to be configured; the domain verification mismatch path applies when the application uses domain-restricted SSO enrollment; the orphaned account path requires that previously deprovisioned SSO-linked accounts still exist in the database; and the reflected XSS path on logout endpoints requires that a victim with an active session can be socially directed to a crafted logout URL. Applications using Better Auth exclusively with password-based authentication (no SSO plugin) are not affected. No special platform or OS conditions are identified. |
| Impact | The CVSS 4.0 score of 8.6 (AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N) signals high real-world severity: the attack is network-reachable, requires no complex preconditions (AC:L, AT:N), demands no user interaction, and yields full read/write account-level impact. PR:L indicates at least low-privilege authenticated presence is required, which marginally limits exposure compared to unauthenticated attacks but does not significantly constrain real-world risk - any registered user in a multi-tenant deployment could elevate to arbitrary account control. No EPSS data was provided in the intelligence feed, and this CVE is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog, meaning active exploitation is not confirmed. VulnCheck is the reporting entity, and no public POC has been identified at time of analysis. The four independent bypass mechanisms are the most significant risk multiplier: even if one path is mitigated by a particular deployment configuration (e.g., no SAML in use), the others may remain viable. Organizations using the beta track (1.7.0-beta.0 through pre-1.7.0-beta.10) are equally exposed. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker holding a low-privilege account on a Better Auth application with SSO enabled crafts a SAML response with an assertion that is not cryptographically bound to the originating authentication request, targeting a high-value user account. The vulnerable library accepts the unbound assertion and issues a session token for the victim account, granting the attacker full account control. Alternatively, the attacker delivers a reflected XSS payload via the logout endpoint to a logged-in victim, stealing their active session cookie without requiring direct exploitation of the SAML logic. No public POC has been identified at time of analysis, but the variety of attack paths means a determined attacker has multiple independent avenues to attempt. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Aug 01, 2026
Multiple authentication bypass vulnerabilities in @better-auth/sso before version 1.6.21 enable low-privileged attackers to take over arbitrary user accounts via four distinct attack paths: domain verification parsing mismatches, orphaned SSO provider accounts, unbound SAML assertions, and reflected XSS on logout endpoints. The CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N) with VC:H/VI:H confirms high confidentiality and integrity impact with no availability loss. No public exploit has been identified at time of analysis and no CISA KEV listing exists, but the multiplicity of bypass vectors significantly raises the probability that any given deployment is exploitable through at least one path.
RemediationAI
Upgrade @better-auth/sso to version 1.6.21 or later on the stable track, or to 1.7.0-beta.10 or later on the beta track, per the vendor advisory GHSA-prpr-5gj3-qqhg at https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/security/advisories/GHSA-prpr-5gj3-qqhg. If an immediate upgrade cannot be performed, the most effective compensating control is to disable the SSO plugin entirely in the Better Auth configuration, accepting the trade-off of losing federated identity login until patching is complete. If SSO cannot be disabled, restrict SSO-enabled endpoints to known, trusted identity providers at the network or WAF layer and enforce strict allowlisting of SAML ACS (Assertion Consumer Service) URLs to reduce unbound assertion risk. Additionally, audit existing user accounts for orphaned SSO provider linkages and revoke any unexpected active sessions. Note that none of these workarounds fully close all four identified bypass paths - patch application remains the only complete remediation.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
Better Auth is a TypeScript-first authentication framework for web applications; the @better-auth/sso plugin extends it with SSO provider integration covering SAML and OAuth-based identity providers. The CPE cpe:2.3:a:better-auth:sso covers all affected versions. The primary registered CWE is CWE-79 (Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation - XSS), which maps to the reflected XSS on logout endpoints, but the broader vulnerability class also encompasses authentication logic failures: domain verification parsing mismatches suggest inadequate canonicalization or comparison of provider-returned email domains; unbound SAML assertions indicate the library fails to tie SAML response assertions to the originating authentication request (a standard replay/injection protection); and orphaned provider accounts represent a lifecycle management failure where deprovisioned SSO-linked accounts retain traversable access paths. Together these represent a systemic weakness in the SSO trust boundary implementation.
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Severity by source
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
PR:L confirmed by CVSS 4.0 input; S:U chosen because primary impact (account takeover) remains within the application scope despite the XSS sub-vector.
Primary rating from Vendor (VulnCheck).
CVSS VectorVendor: VulnCheck
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
@better-auth/sso versions before 1.6.21 contain multiple authentication bypass vulnerabilities in SSO provider handling that allow attackers to sign in as arbitrary users. Attackers can exploit domain verification parsing mismatches, orphaned provider accounts, unbound SAML assertions, or reflected XSS on logout endpoints to gain unauthorized session access and account takeover.
Executive ViewAI
@better-auth/sso versions before 1.6.21 contain multiple authentication bypass flaws that enable account takeover attacks, allowing unauthorized access to user accounts and business-critical applications. Organizations using this authentication library face material risk of data compromise and unauthorized access escalation. Urgent patching to version 1.6.21 or later is required to close these vulnerabilities.
Apply vendor patch to version 1.6.21 or later.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Cross-Site Scripting occurs when an application accepts untrusted data and sends it to a web browser without proper validation or encoding.
Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.
Two domain-ownership authentication bypass flaws in @better-auth/sso allow authenticated organization owners to compromi
Privilege escalation in Better Auth SSO plugin (1.2.10 to <1.6.11) allows any authenticated organization member to regis
EUVD-2026-51839
GHSA-8g2f-78cq-p655
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
VulDB
Exploit-DB