supertokens-core: Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key
CVE-2026-123800 is a critical-severity authorization bypass through user-controlled key vulnerability in supertokens-core from Supertokens, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.9 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. Affected supertokens-core versions: >= 6.0.0, < 6.0.24; >= 7.0.0, < 7.0.23; >= 8.0.0, < 8.0.7, and others listed below. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.59% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.
Critical severity: a successful attack would have severe impact.
What to do
- Check which version of supertokens-core you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
- Read the advisory on github.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supertokens | supertokens-core | >= 6.0.0, < 6.0.24; >= 7.0.0, < 7.0.23; >= 8.0.0, < 8.0.7; >= 9.0.0, < 9.0.6; >= 9.1.0, < 9.1.6; >= 9.2.0, < 9.2.7; >= 9.3.0, < 9.3.5; >= 10.0.0, < 10.0.8; and 10 more ranges | Not stated |
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
- LowA basic user account is enough.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- ChangedThe attack can reach beyond the vulnerable component into other systems.
- Confidentiality
- HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
- Integrity
- HighData or code can be modified at will.
- Availability
- HighThe component can be taken down completely.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by CNA (github.com).
Official description
SuperTokens Core is an open source authentication server. From 6.0.0 until 6.0.24, 7.0.23, 8.0.7, 9.0.6, 9.1.6, 9.2.7, 9.3.5, 10.0.8, 10.1.9, 11.0.9, 11.1.4, 11.2.4, 11.3.8, 11.4.8, 12.0.11, 12.1.2, 12.2.1, and 12.3.1, Multitenancy.checkPermissionsForCreateOrUpdate in src/main/java/io/supertokens/multitenancy/Multitenancy.java does not adequately authorize updates to a parent connection URI domain or the base tenant. In a licensed multi-tenant deployment with multiple applications under one non-default connection URI domain and separate api_keys, an attacker holding one application's valid API key can update the parent domain because the CUD-target branch checks the domain without requiring the source application and tenant to be public. Because api_keys is not protected, the attacker can replace the parent key and then sibling application keys, read or modify sibling users, obtain sessions as those users, establish persistence through a sibling dashboard user, and lock out the sibling application's own key. In the advisory's v2 create or update handlers, omitting the optional identifier produces a base-tenant target that skips the permission branches and enterprise-feature gate, allowing changes to firstFactors, required secondary factors, and recipe-enabled flags that affect login integrity and availability. The base-target variant still rejects coreConfig and does not establish key theft. This issue is fixed in versions 6.0.24, 7.0.23, 8.0.7, 9.0.6, 9.1.6, 9.2.7, 9.3.5, 10.0.8, 10.1.9, 11.0.9, 11.1.4, 11.2.4, 11.3.8, 11.4.8, 12.0.11, 12.1.2, 12.2.1, and 12.3.1.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key
The system's authorization functionality does not prevent one user from gaining access to another user's data or record by modifying the key value identifying the data.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- For each and every data access, ensure that the user has sufficient privilege to access the record that is being requested.
- Make sure that the key that is used in the lookup of a specific user's record is not controllable externally by the user or that any tampering can be detected.
- Use encryption in order to make it more difficult to guess other legitimate values of the key or associate a digital signature with the key so that the server can verify that there has been no tampering.
More Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key vulnerabilities (CWE-639)
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Patches and release notes
- github.com/supertokens/supertokens-core/commit/13c3de170dd40dd217db0f6bd2bded0948476a42
- github.com/supertokens/supertokens-core/commit/1cc02b971f064c2fa2d9bc74b9e85795fdc6a7e5
- github.com/supertokens/supertokens-core/commit/1d9dcb03ce0691d9b8abee48f86cc2729a6008cb
- github.com/supertokens/supertokens-core/commit/337bb3eba812a5ee52d57854701820a0580b6050
- github.com/supertokens/supertokens-core/commit/4902b713f31306ca41148070d10b6185f0e85201
- github.com/supertokens/supertokens-core/commit/4d1ef0e177681f4f74995e4a25a17d224effe115
- github.com/supertokens/supertokens-core/commit/61bfd3ebde1cf4b092da85ee884fa15e288aad51
- github.com/supertokens/supertokens-core/commit/64dfa92c50a2ec288fe787ee5c2fad45548a6475
- github.com/supertokens/supertokens-core/commit/8db9b0c39f97f240e116821434d4eb3c907faccf
- github.com/supertokens/supertokens-core/commit/8e48ef856becbaaeb50ad4c915be1d7ce279416b
- github.com/supertokens/supertokens-core/commit/9b0d3a9fdbdcb48dd7dd9d520075bbefbae3cf9b
- github.com/supertokens/supertokens-core/commit/a186f1013c784de8a796a732e925e1870fec0f40
- github.com/supertokens/supertokens-core/commit/b58bc3d03549d20495df71c03ef5478799c184db
- github.com/supertokens/supertokens-core/commit/bf6184f027a99bd1b3b1df3d20e376dda6521399
- github.com/supertokens/supertokens-core/commit/c6d7dc7d73b9bb3075b3f7a1a0c0c5780430c292
Other vulnerabilities in supertokens-core
- 8.1 High severity
- 8.1 High severity
- 7.4 High severity
- 7.4 High severity
- 8.1 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
Recent Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key vulnerabilities
- 8.1 High severity
- 7.1 High severity
- 7.1 High severity
- 7.1 High severity
- 8.1 High severity
- 8.1 High severity
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