CVE-2026-78619: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-m82c-83jf-3j4v
Share
CVSS 9.8
CWE-305
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-78619 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-305: Authentication Bypass by Primary Weakness) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when the authentication algorithm is sound, but the implemented mechanism can be bypassed as the result of a separate weakness that is primary to the authentication error.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2026-78619 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-78619
GHSA Identifier GHSA-m82c-83jf-3j4v
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-305: Authentication Bypass by Primary Weakness
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2026-78619

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-2026-78619, 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-305: Authentication Bypass by Primary Weakness, where the authentication algorithm is sound, but the implemented mechanism can be bypassed as the result of a separate weakness that is primary to the authentication error. 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

Punk::Plugin::TOTP versions before 0.05 for Perl accept another account's recovery code at the two-factor challenge because totp_use_recovery compares user identifiers numerically. The helper searches the recovery model for the submitted code's digest alone, across every user's rows, so the ownership test that follows is the only thing binding a code to the account it was issued to. That test compares the row's user_id with the challenged user's id through Perl's integer coercion, and an identifier with no leading digits coerces to zero, so any two of them compare equal. User models keyed on a username, an email address or a UUID hit that case, and a numeric key compares as intended. The challenge route feeds a submitted value to the helper once TOTP verification fails, so an attacker who knows a victim's password and holds a recovery code of their own passes the victim's second factor.

References

NVD — CVE-2026-78619 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-78619
metacpan.org/release/lnation/pun... WEB
https://metacpan.org/release/LNATION/Punk-TOTP-0.04/source/include/ptotp/ptotp_plugin.h#L801-827
metacpan.org/release/lnation/pun... WEB
https://metacpan.org/release/LNATION/Punk-TOTP-0.04/view/lib/Punk/Plugin/TOTP.pm
metacpan.org/release/lnation/pun... WEB
https://metacpan.org/release/LNATION/Punk-TOTP-0.05/source/Changes
Software Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/08/25/6

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-78619?
CVE-2026-78619 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-305: Authentication Bypass by Primary Weakness.
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2026-78619?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-78619?
CVE-2026-78619 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-78619?
CVE-2026-78619 is classified under CWE-305: Authentication Bypass by Primary Weakness (The authentication algorithm is sound, but the implemented mechanism can be bypassed as the result of a separate weakness that is primary to the authentication error.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2026-78619?
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-m82c-83jf-3j4v",
  "modified" : "2026-08-26T21:31:39Z",
  "published" : "2026-08-26T00:30:52Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-78619" ],
  "details" : "Punk::Plugin::TOTP versions before 0.05 for Perl accept another account's recovery code at the two-factor challenge because totp_use_recovery compares user identifiers numerically.\n\nThe helper searches the recovery model for the submitted code's digest alone, across every user's rows, so the ownership test that follows is the only thing binding a code to the account it was issued to. That test compares the row's user_id with the challenged user's id through Perl's integer coercion, and an identifier with no leading digits coerces to zero, so any two of them compare equal. User models keyed on a username, an email address or a UUID hit that case, and a numeric key compares as intended.\n\nThe challenge route feeds a submitted value to the helper once TOTP verification fails, so an attacker who knows a victim's password and holds a recovery code of their own passes the victim's second factor.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-78619"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://metacpan.org/release/LNATION/Punk-TOTP-0.04/source/include/ptotp/ptotp_plugin.h#L801-827"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://metacpan.org/release/LNATION/Punk-TOTP-0.04/view/lib/Punk/Plugin/TOTP.pm"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://metacpan.org/release/LNATION/Punk-TOTP-0.05/source/Changes"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/08/25/6"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-305" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-08-25T22:17:06Z"
  }
}