CVE-2026-73431: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-w4vj-gm7w-293h
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CWE-294
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-73431 is a HIGH security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-294: Authentication Bypass by Capture-replay) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when a capture-replay flaw exists when the design of the product makes it possible for a malicious user to sniff network traffic and bypass authentication by replaying it to the server in question to the same effect as the original message (or with minor changes).. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2026-73431 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-73431
GHSA Identifier GHSA-w4vj-gm7w-293h
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-294: Authentication Bypass by Capture-replay
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2026-73431

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

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

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2026-73431, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree

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

Note: The mvn dependency:tree 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-294: Authentication Bypass by Capture-replay, where a capture-replay flaw exists when the design of the product makes it possible for a malicious user to sniff network traffic and bypass authentication by replaying it to the server in question to the same effect as the original message (or with minor changes). In Software, 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

Vulnerability-Lookup contains an authentication weakness in its account activation and password-recovery mechanism. Activation and recovery links were generated using stateless signed tokens containing only the user's login. Although the token signature and age were validated, the application did not track whether a token had already been successfully used. As a result, a captured activation or password-recovery link remained valid for the entire configured TOKEN_VALIDITY_PERIOD, even after the associated password had been changed. An attacker who obtains a valid activation or recovery token could therefore replay it multiple times during its validity period to set a new password and repeatedly take control of the affected account. In addition, tokens were not bound to a specific purpose, allowing the same token mechanism to be used across activation and recovery workflows. The patch introduces purpose-bound tokens and a random nonce whose SHA-256 digest is stored with the user account. The nonce is invalidated after a successful password change, making tokens single-use, while issuing a new token invalidates any previously issued token. The password-setting operation now explicitly consumes the token before committing the account change. Successful exploitation requires the attacker to obtain a currently valid activation or recovery link, but does not require knowledge of the victim's existing password or an authenticated session.

References

NVD — CVE-2026-73431 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-73431
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/vulnerability-lookup/vulnerability-lookup/commit/bef837242657acf680832be56b94428df130ed67

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-73431?
CVE-2026-73431 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-294: Authentication Bypass by Capture-replay.
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2026-73431?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-73431?
CVE-2026-73431 is classified under CWE-294: Authentication Bypass by Capture-replay (A capture-replay flaw exists when the design of the product makes it possible for a malicious user to sniff network traffic and bypass authentication by replaying it to the server in question to the same effect as the original message (or with minor changes).).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2026-73431?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree'. 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-w4vj-gm7w-293h",
  "modified" : "2026-08-12T15:30:50Z",
  "published" : "2026-08-12T15:30:50Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-73431" ],
  "details" : "Vulnerability-Lookup contains an \nauthentication weakness in its account activation and password-recovery \nmechanism. Activation and recovery links were generated using stateless \nsigned tokens containing only the user's login. Although the token \nsignature and age were validated, the application did not track whether a\n token had already been successfully used. As a result, a captured \nactivation or password-recovery link remained valid for the entire \nconfigured TOKEN_VALIDITY_PERIOD, even after the associated password had been changed. \n\n\nAn attacker who obtains a valid \nactivation or recovery token could therefore replay it multiple times \nduring its validity period to set a new password and repeatedly take \ncontrol of the affected account. In addition, tokens were not bound to a\n specific purpose, allowing the same token mechanism to be used across \nactivation and recovery workflows. The patch introduces purpose-bound \ntokens and a random nonce whose SHA-256 digest is stored with the user \naccount. The nonce is invalidated after a successful password change, \nmaking tokens single-use, while issuing a new token invalidates any \npreviously issued token.  The password-setting operation now explicitly consumes the token before committing the account change. \n\n\nSuccessful exploitation requires \nthe attacker to obtain a currently valid activation or recovery link, \nbut does not require knowledge of the victim's existing password or an \nauthenticated session.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:H/SI:H/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-73431"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/vulnerability-lookup/vulnerability-lookup/commit/bef837242657acf680832be56b94428df130ed67"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-294" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-08-12T15:18:33Z"
  }
}