CVE-2026-73431 Reusable Account Activation and Recovery Tokens Allow Repeated Account Takeover in vulnerability-lookup
Attackers can repeatedly take over accounts by replaying captured activation or recovery tokens because the application fails to invalidate them after use.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Any signed-in user
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2026-73431?
CVE-2026-73431 is a high-severity vulnerability in vulnerability-lookup, published on 12 Aug 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
Vulnerability-Lookup contains an authentication weakness in its account activation and password-recovery mechanism. Activation and recovery links were generated using stateless signed tokens containing only the user's login. Although the token signature and age were validated, the application did not track whether a token had already been successfully used. As a result, a captured activation or password-recovery link remained valid for the entire configured TOKEN_VALIDITY_PERIOD, even after the associated password had been changed.
An attacker who obtains a valid activation or recovery token could therefore replay it multiple times during its validity period to set a new password and repeatedly take control of the affected account. In addition, tokens were not bound to a specific purpose, allowing the same token mechanism to be used across activation and recovery workflows. The patch introduces purpose-bound tokens and a random nonce whose SHA-256 digest is stored with the user account. The nonce is invalidated after a successful password change, making tokens single-use, while issuing a new token invalidates any previously issued token. The password-setting operation now explicitly consumes the token before committing the account change.
Successful exploitation requires the attacker to obtain a currently valid activation or recovery link, but does not require knowledge of the victim's existing password or an authenticated session.
Weakness: CWE-294
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-73431?
How do I fix CVE-2026-73431?
No fix has been published for CVE-2026-73431 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Is CVE-2026-73431 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-73431 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as GHSA-w4vj-gm7w-293h.