# CVE-2026-26227: VLC for Android < 3.7.0 Remote Access OTP Authentication Bypass

> Attackers can bypass OTP authentication in VLC for Android's Remote Access Server to access shared media files due to missing rate limiting.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.3 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 26 Feb 2026
- **Updated:** 13 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-r78h-rv66-c9hf

## What is CVE-2026-26227?

CVE-2026-26227 is a medium-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in VideoLAN VLC for Android, published on 26 Feb 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

VideoLAN VLC for Android prior to version 3.7.0 contains an authentication bypass in the Remote Access Server feature due to missing or insufficient rate limiting on one-time password (OTP) verification. The Remote Access Server uses a 4-digit OTP and does not enforce effective throttling or lockout within the OTP validity window, allowing an attacker with network reachability to the server to repeatedly attempt OTP verification until a valid user_session cookie is issued. Successful exploitation results in unauthorized access to the Remote Access interface, limited to media files explicitly shared by the VLC for Android user.

Weakness: CWE-307 (Improper Restriction of Excessive Authentication Attempts)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-26227?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-26227?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-26227 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-26227 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-26227 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-26227 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-26227 is a medium-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in VideoLAN VLC for Android, published on 26 Feb 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-26227 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: VideoLAN VLC for Android. 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-2026-26227/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-26227/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-26227
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-26227
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-26227

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-26227/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.