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Okta Access Gateway CVE-2026-78560

| EUVDEUVD-2026-74171 MEDIUM
Improper Authentication (CWE-287)
2026-09-08 psirt@okta.com GHSA-fv22-crrj-w4gc
4.8
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: okta
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Severity by source

Vendor (okta) PRIMARY
4.8 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
vuln.today AI
7.4 HIGH

AC:H for dual non-default architectural prerequisites; PR:N since attacker needs no credentials; C:H/I:H because arbitrary identity assumption enables full session impersonation of any user including admins.

3.1 AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
4.0 AV:N/AC:H/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (okta).

CVSS VectorVendor: okta

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
High
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

Lifecycle Timeline

2
Analysis Generated
Sep 09, 2026 - 03:27 vuln.today
Patch available
Sep 08, 2026 - 21:20 EUVD

DescriptionCVE.org

The Okta Access Gateway includes an optional pass-through authentication source that accepts user identity from a client-supplied HTTP header without cryptographic validation. In architectures where this optional source is enabled without an upstream reverse proxy or firewall configured to sanitize and enforce client headers, an unauthenticated user can supply an arbitrary identity value to initiate a session.

AnalysisAI

Header injection authentication bypass in Okta Access Gateway (versions prior to 2026.9.1) allows unauthenticated network attackers to impersonate any user identity by supplying a forged HTTP header when the optional pass-through authentication source is enabled without upstream header sanitization. The vulnerability (CWE-287) stems from the gateway's unconditional trust of a client-controlled HTTP header as an identity assertion, with no cryptographic binding or signature verification. …

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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata

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Vulnerability AssessmentAI

Exploitation Exploitation requires two concurrent architectural conditions: (1) the optional pass-through authentication source must be explicitly enabled in the Okta Access Gateway configuration - this is not a default or universally deployed feature; and (2) no upstream reverse proxy, WAF, or firewall must be configured to strip or enforce the client-supplied identity header before requests reach the gateway. … Additional conditions and limiting factors are described in the full assessment.
Risk Assessment The CVSS 3.1 vector AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N yields a score of 4.8, where AC:H correctly reflects the dual architectural preconditions - the optional feature must be enabled and no upstream header-stripping layer may exist. … Full risk analysis with EPSS, KEV, and SSVC signal comparison available after sign-in.
Exploit Scenario Full exploit scenario with step-by-step reproduction available after sign-in.
Remediation The primary fix is to upgrade Okta Access Gateway to version 2026.9.1 or later, as specified in the Okta PSIRT advisory at https://trust.okta.com/security-advisories/improper-authentication-validation-in-okta-access-gateway-pass-through-authentication-source-cve-2026-78560. … Detailed patch versions, workarounds, and compensating controls in full report.

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CVE-2026-78560 vulnerability details – vuln.today

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