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Joomla CMS CVE-2026-92227

| EUVDEUVD-2026-89074 HIGH
Improper Authentication (CWE-287)
2026-09-29 Joomla GHSA-jjjc-9622-c6gg
8.2
CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: Joomla
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Reach Joomla login over network
  2. Delivery
    Trigger premature rememberme cookie issuance
  3. Exploit
    Bypass MFA second-factor check
  4. Execution
    Obtain authenticated session
  5. Impact
    Access protected account/admin functions

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A07:2025 - Authentication Failures
ASVS 5.0
V6 - Authentication Authentication mechanism validation
MITRE ATT&CK

2 techniques across 2 tactics: Defense Evasion, Initial Access

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires a Joomla! site running an affected version (4.0.0-5.4.8 or 6.0.0-6.1.3) that has multi-factor authentication enabled - MFA must be in use for a 'bypass' to be meaningful. The specific trigger is the premature issuance of the 'rememberme' persistent-login cookie, so the rememberme/persistent-login functionality must be exercised in the authentication flow (reflected as AT:P, an attack requirement, in the CVSS 4.0 vector). Practically, the attacker must be able to drive the login process to the point the cookie is issued and then present that cookie; this presupposes access to first-factor login or the issued cookie, which limits fully anonymous exploitation despite the PR:N rating. Non-affected versions and sites not enforcing MFA are not at risk from this specific bypass.

Impact

This is a genuine MFA control-bypass in Joomla! core, a very widely deployed CMS, so it warrants attention despite lacking active-exploitation signals. The vendor CVSS 4.0 vector (8.2, AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H) frames it as a network-reachable integrity-impacting flaw with an attack requirement (AT:P) - the 'premature issuance of a rememberme cookie' condition that must be present for the bypass to work. There is no EPSS score, no CISA KEV listing, and no public POC provided, so this is best treated as a latent risk rather than a confirmed exploitation campaign: no public exploit identified at time of analysis. Note a tension between PR:N and the nature of the flaw: an MFA bypass logically presupposes the attacker already possesses or can obtain first-factor credentials or a valid rememberme cookie, so 'unauthenticated' in the CVSS sense overstates how much an attacker gets for free - the second-factor protection is what is defeated. The vendor scoped confidentiality as VC:N and only integrity as VI:H, but in practice defeating MFA typically yields account access that also exposes data; verify the exact post-bypass access with the Joomla advisory. Overall: real priority for Joomla operators who rely on MFA, but not an internet-wide emergency absent POC/KEV.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker targeting a Joomla site that enforces multi-factor authentication leverages the premature rememberme cookie: because the persistent-login cookie is issued before the MFA step completes, presenting or obtaining that cookie grants an authenticated session without satisfying the second factor. No public exploit code is available, but the attack is network-based and low-complexity once the rememberme condition is met.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
No patch listed yet 0.3% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Sep 29, 2026

MFA bypass in Joomla! CMS 4.0.0 through 5.4.8 and 6.0.0 through 6.1.3 allows an attacker who can drive the login flow to the point a 'rememberme' cookie is issued to present that cookie and skip the second authentication factor entirely, defeating the site's multi-factor policy without possessing valid second-factor credentials. The weakness is only meaningful on installations that both enforce MFA and use persistent-login (remember-me) functionality; sites without MFA enabled are not exposed to this specific bypass, and fully anonymous exploitation is constrained because the attacker must interact with the first-factor login flow or otherwise obtain the issued cookie. No public exploit code or active exploitation has been identified at time of analysis, and the vendor has published advisory 20260914 with fix guidance.

RemediationAI

Apply the fix described in the Joomla Security Centre advisory 20260914 (https://developer.joomla.org/security-centre/1094-20260914-core-mfa-authentication-bypass-through-rememberme-cookies.html) by upgrading Joomla! CMS to the current patched release on your branch; patch availability is confirmed by the vendor advisory, and the exact fixed version numbers should be taken from that advisory rather than inferred, since they were not enumerated in the supplied data. If an immediate upgrade is not possible, disable the persistent-login capability - for example by unpublishing the System - Remember Me plugin or removing the remember-me cookie from the login flow - so the premature cookie is never issued; the trade-off is that users lose persistent logins and must re-authenticate each session, but MFA remains enforced. Do not disable MFA as a workaround, as that removes the very control being bypassed, and consider auditing the session and remember-me token tables for unexpected or attacker-controlled persistent-login entries after patching. Applying the update is also the safest route because the affected versions span two major branches, so confirm your exact current version against the advisory before choosing an upgrade target.

Affected VersionsENISA

Joomla! CMS 6.0.0-6.1.3
Joomla! CMS 4.0.0-5.4.8

Affected Packages

euvd joomla_cms no fix

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

The root cause class is CWE-287 (Improper Authentication): Joomla! core issues the persistent-login 'rememberme' cookie prematurely - before MFA verification completes - so the cookie is subsequently honoured as sufficient proof of authentication and the second factor is never enforced. Joomla implements MFA as an additional authentication step layered on the core login pipeline, and the remember-me plugin participates in that same pipeline, which is why the ordering flaw translates into a control bypass rather than a mere session quirk. The vendor-supplied CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N) treats the issue as network-reachable with attack requirements present (AT:P), no confidentiality or availability impact, and high integrity impact, reflecting that the attacker gains authenticated or administrative state rather than directly reading data. Our independent assessment maps the same flaw to CVSS 3.1 AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N, reflecting high attack complexity and high confidentiality and integrity impact once the bypass succeeds. The supplied CPE cpe:2.3:a:joomla!_project:joomla!_cms:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* wildcards the version range, so the authoritative affected versions are the ones stated by the vendor (4.0.0-5.4.8 and 6.0.0-6.1.3).

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (Joomla) PRIMARY 8.2 HIGH
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
vuln.today AI 7.4 HIGH

Network-reachable but gated by the rememberme-cookie precondition (AC:H, mapping the 4.0 AT:P); defeating MFA yields account takeover, so C:H/I:H with no availability impact.

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

Primary rating from Vendor (Joomla).

CVSS VectorVendor: Joomla

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Attack Requirements
Present
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Vulnerable system: Confidentiality
None
Vulnerable system: Integrity
High
Vulnerable system: Availability
None
Subsequent system: Confidentiality
None
Subsequent system: Integrity
None
Subsequent system: Availability
None

DescriptionCVE.org

Joomla! Core - [20260914] - Core - MFA Authentication Bypass through rememberme cookies in Joomla 4.0.0-5.4.8, 6.0.0-6.1.3 - The premature issuance of an rememberme cookie leads to a MFA bypass vulnerability.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

Joomla! CMS versions 4.0.0 through 5.4.8 and 6.0.0 through 6.1.3 contain an MFA bypass that lets an attacker who has already reached the point where a persistent-login (remember-me) cookie is issued skip the second authentication factor entirely, silently defeating the site's multi-factor policy. Only sites that both enforce MFA and permit remember-me logins are exposed, but for those organizations the control they rely on to protect privileged access can be circumvented without possession of any second-factor credential. Leadership should care because this undermines the primary defense against credential-stuffing and account takeover on internet-facing CMS platforms that frequently host public content and, in many cases, administrative access to other systems.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis; vendor advisory 20260914 provides fix guidance. Interim mitigations: disable the persistent-login/'remember me' plugin or option on Joomla! instances running 4.0.0 through 5.4.8 or 6.0.0 through 6.1.3, restrict remember-me issuance to low-privilege accounts, shorten session and cookie lifetimes, invalidate existing persistent-login cookies, enforce re-authentication for administrative actions, and monitor authentication logs for logins that complete privileged access without a second-factor challenge.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.3%
Top 75% exploitable
Prevalence
High
Joomla is one of the most widely deployed CMS platforms globally
Data Quality
5 sources
Confidence: Medium

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.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.3%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
No
Human Impact
High
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

41
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +41
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

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