Unlimited password guessing via reusable CAPTCHA
Published Jun 24, 2025 · Updated Jun 25, 2025
Authentication bypass in xxyopen Novel-Plus 5.1.0 through 5.1.3 allows remote attackers to reuse a CAPTCHA for password guessing. The ajaxLogin method in novel-admin's LoginController compares the supplied CAPTCHA with the session value but never removes that value after a successful match. A remote attacker needs one valid CAPTCHA and its session, then can replay it across unlimited password guesses; account access still requires a correct password.
Summary
What happened
Authentication bypass in xxyopen Novel-Plus 5.1.0 through 5.1.3 allows remote attackers to reuse a CAPTCHA for password guessing. The ajaxLogin method in novel-admin's LoginController compares the supplied CAPTCHA with the session value but never removes that value after a successful match. A remote attacker needs one valid CAPTCHA and its session, then can replay it across unlimited password guesses; account access still requires a correct password.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-6533
- Published
- Jun 24, 2025
- Updated
- Jun 25, 2025
- Vendor
- xxyopen
- Product
- Novel-Plus
- Classifications
- CWE-287, CWE-307, CWE-294, T1110
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jun 24, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jun 25, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=5.1.0
- Affected versionversion=5.1.1
- Affected versionversion=5.1.2
- Affected versionversion=5.1.3
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- Novel-Plus CAPTCHA replay proof of conceptproof of concept · demonstrated
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
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