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phpBB EUVDEUVD-2026-36375

| CVE-2026-48611 CRITICAL
Improper Authentication (CWE-287)
2026-06-12 hackerone GHSA-24pr-8ggp-h88c
9.8
CVSS 3.0 · Vendor: hackerone
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Attack ChainAIDerived

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

  1. Access
    Identify internet-exposed phpBB forum
  2. Delivery
    Send crafted request to OAuth endpoint
  3. Exploit
    Bypass authentication checks
  4. Execution
    Hijack target account session
  5. Impact
    Access or escalate to administrative privileges

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

No special conditions - remote unauthenticated exploitation against default configurations of phpBB. The description explicitly states the flaw is exploitable even when OAuth is not configured or enabled, eliminating the most natural mitigation. Limiting factors are minimal: the phpBB instance must be network-reachable to the attacker and running a vulnerable version; no user interaction, no prior authentication, and no non-default settings are required.

Impact

The CVSS 3.0 vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N indicates remote, network-reachable, low-complexity exploitation with no authentication and no user interaction, scoring 9.8 critical. This is amplified by the description's explicit statement that default installations are affected without any OAuth configuration, removing the most common mitigating prerequisite. No EPSS score, KEV listing, or public POC has been provided in the intelligence sources, so while the theoretical risk is severe, evidence of in-the-wild exploitation is absent - the only reference is a phpBB community advisory thread. Given phpBB's massive install base across hobby and community forums, this should be treated as a high-priority patch even without confirmed exploitation signals.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

A remote attacker sends specially crafted requests to the OAuth authentication endpoints of a target phpBB forum, abusing the flawed authentication checks to associate or assume the identity of an existing account - including administrative accounts - without needing valid credentials. Because the flaw triggers on default installations regardless of OAuth configuration, any internet-reachable phpBB site is a candidate target. No public exploit identified at time of analysis, but the simplicity implied by AC:L suggests one could emerge quickly once technical details are disclosed.

Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Why: CRITICAL severity + public POC available.
No patch listed yet 0.1% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Jun 12, 2026

Account hijacking in phpBB is possible due to improper authentication checks in the OAuth implementation, affecting default installations even when OAuth is not configured or enabled. Remote unauthenticated attackers can gain unauthorized access to arbitrary accounts on the forum platform, with no public exploit identified at time of analysis despite the critical 9.8 CVSS score.

RemediationAI

Patch available per vendor advisory - administrators should consult the phpBB community advisory at https://www.phpbb.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=2672170 and upgrade to the fixed release identified there as soon as practical, since no exact fix version was provided in the available intelligence. As a compensating control until patching, administrators can place the forum behind authenticated access (HTTP basic auth or VPN) for trusted users only, or block external requests to the OAuth login endpoints via web server rewrite rules (which will break any legitimate OAuth logins if enabled). Monitoring authentication logs for unexpected account access and forcing a global password reset post-patch is recommended given the account hijacking impact.

Affected VersionsENISA

phpBB 3.3.0 ≤3.3.16

Affected Packages

euvd phpbb 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

phpBB is a widely deployed open-source PHP-based forum software, identified by CPE cpe:2.3:a:phpbb:phpbb. The vulnerability is rooted in CWE-287 (Improper Authentication), specifically within the OAuth authentication flow. OAuth is an authorization delegation protocol that allows third-party providers (Google, Facebook, etc.) to authenticate users, but here the integration logic fails to properly validate authentication state and can be abused as an account takeover path even on installations that never enabled OAuth login providers.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (hackerone) PRIMARY 9.8 CRITICAL
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
vuln.today AI 9.8 CRITICAL

Description confirms remote unauthenticated account hijacking on default installs with no user interaction, yielding full C/I/A impact on the compromised account context.

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

Primary rating from Vendor (hackerone).

CVSS VectorVendor: hackerone

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

DescriptionCVE.org

Improper authentication checks in the OAuth implementation allow account hijacking even when OAuth is not configured or enabled leading to unauthorized access in default installations.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

A critical authentication bypass in phpBB (CVE-2026-48611) allows remote attackers to hijack user accounts without credentials, affecting all forum deployments regardless of security configuration. Users across any organization running phpBB-from community forums to customer support platforms-face account takeover and potential data exposure. No vendor-released patch is available, requiring immediate defensive measures to protect account security and forum integrity.

Business Impact: Severe
Compensating Controls

Disable OAuth functionality if not actively in use; implement network-based access restrictions to authorized IP ranges; enable authentication logging with real-time anomaly alerts; enforce password resets for privileged accounts; deploy web application firewall rules targeting phpBB OAuth endpoints; implement aggressive rate limiting on authentication functions; maintain continuous monitoring of phpBB security bulletins and CISA advisories.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.1%
Top 77% exploitable
Exploit
POC
Public exploit code exists
Social Media
2
Sightings
Data Quality
6 sources
Confidence: High

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 CRITICAL
CISA KEV No
Public POC Yes
EPSS 0.1%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
CRITICAL severity + public POC available
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
Out-of-Cycle
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
Yes
Human Impact
Very High
Technical Impact
Total

Priority Score

69
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +49
PoC: +20
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.

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