# CVE-2026-44196: Pingvin Share X: TOTP Authentication Bypass via Password-only Login

> Attackers with valid credentials can bypass TOTP two-factor authentication to access accounts in Pingvin Share X.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 12 May 2026
- **Updated:** 14 May 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-j679-vp39-qwqq

## What is CVE-2026-44196?

CVE-2026-44196 is a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in smp46 pingvin-share-x, published on 12 May 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Pingvin Share X is a secure and easy self-hosted file sharing platform. From 1.14.1 to 1.16.2, a critical authentication bypass vulnerability allows an attacker who has obtained a valid username and password to skip the second-factor authentication (TOTP) requirement entirely. Although, an attacker still needs the user's password to reach this stage. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.16.3.

Weakness: CWE-697 (Incorrect Comparison), CWE-287 (Improper Authentication)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-44196?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-44196?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-44196 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-44196 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-44196 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-44196 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-44196 is a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in smp46 pingvin-share-x, published on 12 May 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-2026-44196 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: smp46 pingvin-share-x. 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-2026-44196/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-44196/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-44196
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-44196
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-44196

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-44196/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.