CVE-2026-45048: Openam core OpenAM Authenticated Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-vvhj-w2jq-263q
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CVSS 8.5
CWE-285 CWE-200
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-45048 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.5) openam authenticated privilege escalation vulnerability (CWE-285: Improper Authorization) affecting Openam core libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves openam authenticated privilege escalation via raw token disclosure session rpc. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 16.1.1.

CVE-2026-45048 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-45048
GHSA Identifier GHSA-vvhj-w2jq-263q
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.5
CWE Classification CWE-285: Improper Authorization
Affected Product Openam core
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Changed (S:C)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2026-45048

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Openam core 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-core fixed: 16.1.1 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.openidentityplatform.openam</groupId>
    <artifactId>openam-core</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-2026-45048, 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 core 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 core, 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 insufficient authorization (CWE-285) and information exposure (CWE-200) issue in OpenAM's session management endpoint allows a low-privileged authenticated user to retrieve active session credentials belonging to other users, including those with higher privileges. This affects OpenAM Community Edition through version 16.0.6 and was patched in version 16.1.1. This may be related to CVE-2021-4201, a similar issue patched in ForgeRock Access Management, a separate product sharing a common codebase ancestry. ## Impact OpenAM Community Edition deployments through version 16.0.6 using stateful session storage and exposing the session management endpoint are potentially affected. The endpoint does not enforce ownership or privilege checks when querying session information, meaning an authenticated user may retrieve active session credentials for arbitrary users. Successful exploitation requires a valid low-privilege session and knowledge of a target user's identity identifier, which may be obtainable through normal platform functionality. If credentials belonging to a highly privileged account are obtained, this could enable further administrative actions within the platform ## Patch This has been patched in OpenAM Community Edition version 16.1.1. Users are encouraged to update to the latest release.

CVE-2026-45048 Affected Openam core Versions

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

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/OpenIdentityPlatform/OpenAM/security/advisories/GHSA-vvhj-w2jq-263q
Openam core Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/OpenIdentityPlatform/OpenAM

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-45048?
CVE-2026-45048 is a security vulnerability in Openam core involving OpenAM Authenticated Privilege Escalation via Raw Token Disclosure Session RPC under CWE-285: Improper Authorization.
Which Openam core versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 16.1.1 across affected packages: org.openidentityplatform.openam:openam-core.
What version fixes CVE-2026-45048?
Upgrading to 16.1.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openam-core affected?
Yes, org.openidentityplatform.openam:openam-core is affected in releases prior to 16.1.1. Upgrade your dependency to 16.1.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-45048?
CVE-2026-45048 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-45048?
CVE-2026-45048 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-2026-45048?
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-vvhj-w2jq-263q",
  "modified" : "2026-06-23T17:33:00Z",
  "published" : "2026-06-23T17:33:00Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-45048" ],
  "summary" : "OpenAM Authenticated Privilege Escalation via Raw Token Disclosure Session RPC",
  "details" : "## Summary\n\nDescription\n\nAn insufficient authorization (CWE-285) and information exposure (CWE-200) issue in OpenAM's session management endpoint allows a low-privileged authenticated user to retrieve active session credentials belonging to other users, including those with higher privileges. This affects OpenAM Community Edition through version 16.0.6 and was patched in version 16.1.1.\n\nThis may be related to CVE-2021-4201, a similar issue patched in ForgeRock Access Management, a separate product sharing a common codebase ancestry.\n\n## Impact\n\nOpenAM Community Edition deployments through version 16.0.6 using stateful session storage and exposing the session management endpoint are potentially affected. The endpoint does not enforce ownership or privilege checks when querying session information, meaning an authenticated user may retrieve active session credentials for arbitrary users. Successful exploitation requires a valid low-privilege session and knowledge of a target user's identity identifier, which may be obtainable through normal platform functionality.\n\nIf credentials belonging to a highly privileged account are obtained, this could enable further administrative actions within the platform\n\n## Patch\n\nThis has been patched in OpenAM Community Edition version 16.1.1. Users are encouraged to update to the latest release.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.openidentityplatform.openam:openam-core"
    },
    "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-vvhj-w2jq-263q"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/OpenIdentityPlatform/OpenAM"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-200", "CWE-285" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-06-23T17:33:00Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}