CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2026-118582NVD status: Awaiting Analysis

CAPTCHA: Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2026-118582 is a high-severity authentication bypass using an alternate path or channel vulnerability in CAPTCHA from Drupal, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.3 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. The record lists versions 1.18.0, 2.0.11 as the first without the flaw, so updating CAPTCHA to one of those releases or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.23% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.

Next patch cycle

High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.

What to do

  1. Update CAPTCHA to 1.18.0 or 2.0.11, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
  2. Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
DrupalCAPTCHAbefore 1.18.0; 2.0.0 up to, but not including, 2.0.111.18.0, 2.0.11

Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Privileges required
NoneNo account or login is needed.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality
LowSome restricted data can be read.
Integrity
LowLimited modification of data is possible.
Availability
LowPerformance or availability is reduced.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L. Scored by CISA (ADP).

Official description

Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel vulnerability in Drupal CAPTCHA allows Functionality Bypass. This issue affects CAPTCHA versions: from 0.0.0 to 1.18.0, from 2.0.0 to 2.0.11.

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel

The product requires authentication, but the product has an alternate path or channel that does not require authentication.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Funnel all access through a single choke point to simplify how users can access a resource. For every access, perform a check to determine if the user has permissions to access the resource.

More Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel vulnerabilities (CWE-288)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: yes, technical impact: partial).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Recent Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel vulnerabilities

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