# CVE-2024-0436: Prevent timing attack for single-user password check

> An attacker can potentially brute-force passwords in single-user mode via timing attacks, exposing credentials in AnythingLLM.

- **Severity:** High 7.1 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 25 Feb 2024
- **Updated:** 27 Mar 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-cg5m-p8pg-93cg

## What is CVE-2024-0436?

CVE-2024-0436 is a high-severity vulnerability in Mintplexlabs Anythingllm, published on 25 Feb 2024. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Theoretically, it would be possible for an attacker to brute-force the password for an instance in single-user password protection mode via a timing attack given the linear nature of the `!==` used for comparison.

The risk is minified by the additional overhead of the request, which varies in a non-constant nature making the attack less reliable to execute

Weakness: CWE-203 (Observable Discrepancy)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-0436?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Mintplexlabs Anythingllm.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-0436?

No fix has been published for CVE-2024-0436 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2024-0436 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-0436 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Mintplexlabs Anythingllm

- [CVE-2024-3025](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-3025/): Path Traversal in mintplex-labs/anything-llm (critical 9.9)
- [CVE-2024-0455](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-0455/): SSRF on AWS deployed instances of AnythingLLM via /metadata (critical 9.9)
- [CVE-2026-32626](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-32626/): AnythingLLM has a Streaming Phase XSS to RCE via LLM Response Injection (critical 9.7)
- [CVE-2024-3104](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-3104/): Remote Code Execution in mintplex-labs/anything-llm (critical 9.6)
- [CVE-2024-3149](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-3149/): SSRF in mintplex-labs/anything-llm (critical 9.6)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2024-0436 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-0436 is a high-severity vulnerability in Mintplexlabs Anythingllm, published on 25 Feb 2024. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-0436 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Mintplexlabs Anythingllm. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-0436/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-0436/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-0436
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-0436
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-0436

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-0436/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.