CVE-2026-48717: Openam oauth2 OpenAM OAuth Authorization Bypass Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-4v2w-2wqp-mc85
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CWE-285
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-48717 is a MODERATE openam oauth authorization bypass vulnerability (CWE-285: Improper Authorization) affecting Openam oauth2 libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves openam oauth authorization bypass via pkce challenge. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 16.1.1.

CVE-2026-48717 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-48717
GHSA Identifier GHSA-4v2w-2wqp-mc85
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-285: Improper Authorization
Affected Product Openam oauth2
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2026-48717

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Openam oauth2 dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

org.openidentityplatform.openam:openam-oauth2 fixed: 16.1.1 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.openidentityplatform.openam</groupId>
    <artifactId>openam-oauth2</artifactId>
    <version>16.1.1</version>
</dependency>
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.openidentityplatform.openam

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2026-48717, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.openidentityplatform.openam

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Openam oauth2 in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 16.1.1), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.openidentityplatform.openam command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-285: Improper Authorization, where the product does not perform or incorrectly performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action. In Openam oauth2, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

## Summary **Description** An Improper Authorization (CWE-285) issue in OpenAM's OAuth2 authorization-code grant allows a PKCE-protected authorization code to be redeemed without the required code_verifier. This affects OpenAM Community Edition through version 16.0.6 and was patched in version 16.1.1. The authorize endpoint stores a code_challenge on the issued code, but the token endpoint only requires a code_verifier when the realm-wide codeVerifierEnforced setting is enabled, which ships disabled by default. With that setting off, the stored challenge is checked only if the caller supplies a verifier, so omitting the parameter skips PKCE verification entirely. ## Impact OpenAM Community Edition deployments through version 16.0.6 using the default OAuth2 provider configuration are potentially affected. For public clients, an attacker who intercepts an authorization code can exchange it for tokens without knowing the verifier. For confidential clients, the attacker additionally needs client authentication material or an execution context that can redeem the code. A token request supplying an incorrect verifier is still rejected. The bypass is specifically the missing-parameter path. ## Patch This has been patched in OpenAM Community Edition version 16.1.1. Users are encouraged to update to the latest release.

CVE-2026-48717 Affected Openam oauth2 Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
16.1.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.openidentityplatform.openam:openam-oauth2
maven/org.openidentityplatform.openam/openam-oauth2
Maven
< 16.1.1
16.1.1

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/OpenIdentityPlatform/OpenAM/security/advisories/GHSA-4v2w-2wqp-mc85
Openam oauth2 Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/OpenIdentityPlatform/OpenAM

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-48717?
CVE-2026-48717 is a security vulnerability in Openam oauth2 involving OpenAM OAuth Authorization Bypass via PKCE Challenge under CWE-285: Improper Authorization.
Which Openam oauth2 versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 16.1.1 across affected packages: org.openidentityplatform.openam:openam-oauth2.
What version fixes CVE-2026-48717?
Upgrading to 16.1.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openam-oauth2 affected?
Yes, org.openidentityplatform.openam:openam-oauth2 is affected in releases prior to 16.1.1. Upgrade your dependency to 16.1.1 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-48717?
CVE-2026-48717 is classified under CWE-285: Improper Authorization (The product does not perform or incorrectly performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2026-48717?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.openidentityplatform.openam'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-4v2w-2wqp-mc85",
  "modified" : "2026-06-29T17:46:06Z",
  "published" : "2026-06-29T17:46:06Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-48717" ],
  "summary" : "OpenAM OAuth Authorization Bypass via PKCE Challenge",
  "details" : "## Summary\n\n**Description**\n\nAn Improper Authorization (CWE-285) issue in OpenAM's OAuth2 authorization-code grant allows a PKCE-protected authorization code to be redeemed without the required code_verifier. This affects OpenAM Community Edition through version 16.0.6 and was patched in version 16.1.1.\n\nThe authorize endpoint stores a code_challenge on the issued code, but the token endpoint only requires a code_verifier when the realm-wide codeVerifierEnforced setting is enabled, which ships disabled by default. With that setting off, the stored challenge is checked only if the caller supplies a verifier, so omitting the parameter skips PKCE verification entirely.\n\n## Impact\nOpenAM Community Edition deployments through version 16.0.6 using the default OAuth2 provider configuration are potentially affected. For public clients, an attacker who intercepts an authorization code can exchange it for tokens without knowing the verifier. For confidential clients, the attacker additionally needs client authentication material or an execution context that can redeem the code. A token request supplying an incorrect verifier is still rejected. The bypass is specifically the missing-parameter path.\n\n## Patch\nThis has been patched in OpenAM Community Edition version 16.1.1. Users are encouraged to update to the latest release.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.openidentityplatform.openam:openam-oauth2"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "16.1.1"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 16.0.6"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/OpenIdentityPlatform/OpenAM/security/advisories/GHSA-4v2w-2wqp-mc85"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/OpenIdentityPlatform/OpenAM"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-285" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-06-29T17:46:06Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}