Unauthenticated session access via client-controlled identity header
Published Sep 8, 2026 · Updated Sep 10, 2026
Authentication bypass in Okta Access Gateway before 2026.9.1 allows remote attackers to initiate sessions as arbitrary identities. The optional pass-through authentication source trusts a client-supplied HTTP identity header without cryptographic validation. Exploitation requires the module to be enabled for a protected application and no upstream proxy or firewall to strip or overwrite the header; successful requests gain that identity's session access.
Summary
What happened
Authentication bypass in Okta Access Gateway before 2026.9.1 allows remote attackers to initiate sessions as arbitrary identities. The optional pass-through authentication source trusts a client-supplied HTTP identity header without cryptographic validation. Exploitation requires the module to be enabled for a protected application and no upstream proxy or firewall to strip or overwrite the header; successful requests gain that identity's session access.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-78560
- Published
- Sep 8, 2026
- Updated
- Sep 10, 2026
- Vendor
- Okta
- Product
- Okta Access Gateway
- Classifications
- CWE-287, T1190
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Sep 8, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Sep 10, 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=0 <2026.9.1
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
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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