UAA: Improper Authentication
CVE-2026-59358 is a high-severity improper authentication vulnerability in UAA from Cloud Foundry, with a CVSS 4.0 base score of 7.6 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 UAA versions: 3.7.0 through 79.6.0. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.41% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Check which version of UAA you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud Foundry | UAA | 3.7.0 through 79.6.0 | Not stated |
| Cloud Foundry | cf-deployment | 60.4.0 and earlier | 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.
- Attack requirements
- PresentThe target must be in a specific state or configuration for the attack to work.
- Privileges required
- LowA basic user account is enough.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Confidentiality (vulnerable system)
- HighSerious loss of confidentiality on the vulnerable system.
- Integrity (vulnerable system)
- HighSerious loss of integrity on the vulnerable system.
- Availability (vulnerable system)
- NoneNo loss of availability on the vulnerable system.
- Confidentiality (other systems)
- NoneNo loss of confidentiality on systems beyond the vulnerable one.
- Integrity (other systems)
- NoneNo loss of integrity on systems beyond the vulnerable one.
- Availability (other systems)
- NoneNo loss of availability on systems beyond the vulnerable one.
Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X. Scored by CNA (vmware.com).
Official description
Improper authentication (CWE-287) in the OAuth token endpoint in Cloud Foundry UAA allows a remote, authenticated attacker holding a valid user access token to obtain a fully-privileged client_credentials token for the OAuth client that issued it, by presenting the user token as an OAuth 2.0 Bearer credential on a client_credentials grant request in place of the client’s configured secret. UAA’s client_credentials handling does not verify that the Bearer credential supplied for client authentication is actually a client credential (a client secret or a valid configured client authentication method); it accepts any valid access token whose client_id matches the request. A token obtained by a normal end user through a public authorization_code + PKCE flow — scoped only to uaa.user, carrying a user_id, and recording client_auth_method=none — satisfies this check. That user token cannot itself administer OAuth clients (POST /oauth/clients correctly returns 403), but when replayed as Bearer authentication on a client_credentials request for the same client, UAA issues a new client-only token carrying the client’s full authorities, such as clients.write. An attacker can use that token to create arbitrary new OAuth clients, including clients with attacker-chosen authorities, without ever possessing the client’s actual secret. Exploitation requires a valid user access token (the attacker’s own) for a client that is configured to support both a public, user-facing authorization flow and the client_credentials grant type on the same client_id — a non-default combination. Practical impact scales with the authorities assigned to that client.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Improper Authentication
When an actor claims to have a given identity, the product does not prove or insufficiently proves that the claim is correct.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Use an authentication framework or library such as the OWASP ESAPI Authentication feature.
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
References
Other references
Other vulnerabilities in UAA
- 8.7 High severity
- 9.0 Critical severity
Recent Improper Authentication vulnerabilities
- 9.1 Critical severity
- 8.1 High severity
- 8.1 High severity
- 8.1 High severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
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