Account hijacking via unchecked Apache provider password
Published Jun 12, 2026 · Updated Jun 12, 2026
Authentication bypass in phpBB 3.3.0 through 3.3.16 allows remote attackers to hijack any active account with one crafted HTTP request. The ucp_login_link controller accepts auth_provider=apache when database authentication is configured, and the Apache provider accepts any nonempty password without comparing it to the stored hash. A known username is sufficient; successful exploitation creates a valid session as that user, including an administrator, on default installations.
Summary
What happened
Authentication bypass in phpBB 3.3.0 through 3.3.16 allows remote attackers to hijack any active account with one crafted HTTP request. The ucp_login_link controller accepts auth_provider=apache when database authentication is configured, and the Apache provider accepts any nonempty password without comparing it to the stored hash. A known username is sufficient; successful exploitation creates a valid session as that user, including an administrator, on default installations.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-48611
- Published
- Jun 12, 2026
- Updated
- Jun 12, 2026
- Vendor
- phpBB
- Product
- phpBB
- Classifications
- CWE-287, T1190
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jun 12, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jun 12, 2026Record 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=3.3.0 <=3.3.16
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.
Public exploit references
- Pentest-Tools.com single-request proof of conceptfunctional · demonstrated
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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