Unauthenticated content forgery via unbound ActivityPub author
Published Jul 1, 2026 · Updated Jul 1, 2026
Authentication bypass in NodeBB 4.13.2 allows remote attackers to forge posts and private messages as arbitrary local users via ActivityPub. The inbound object mock copies a numeric attributedTo value directly into the local uid field while actor validation discards numeric identifiers instead of binding them to the signed remote actor. Exploitation requires federation to be enabled and permits stored content to appear under any selected local account, including an administrator account.
Summary
What happened
Authentication bypass in NodeBB 4.13.2 allows remote attackers to forge posts and private messages as arbitrary local users via ActivityPub. The inbound object mock copies a numeric attributedTo value directly into the local uid field while actor validation discards numeric identifiers instead of binding them to the signed remote actor. Exploitation requires federation to be enabled and permits stored content to appear under any selected local account, including an administrator account.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-58593
- Published
- Jul 1, 2026
- Updated
- Jul 1, 2026
- Vendor
- NodeBB
- Product
- NodeBB
- Classifications
- CWE-345, CWE-290, T1659
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jul 1, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jul 1, 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=4.13.2
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
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
- NodeBB ActivityPub attributedTo Local User Spoof PoCproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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