The Symfony Security HTTP component AuthenticatorManager::authenticateUser() does not run the firewall user checker’s checkPostAuth() method when a user is authenticated programmatically, allowing an account rejected by a custom user checker, such as an expired account, to be authenticated in Symfony versions prior to 5.4.56, 6.x prior to 6.4.50, 7.x prior to 7.4.23, and 8.x prior to 8.1.11.
AuthenticatorManager::authenticateUser() is used by UserAuthenticatorInterface::authenticateUser() and by the SecurityBundle’s Security::login() to authenticate a user programmatically, but it does not dispatch the security.authentication.success event, on which checkPostAuth() runs. The fix for CVE-2024-50341 made Security::login() call checkPreAuth(), but checkPostAuth() was still skipped. As a result, an account rejected by a custom user checker in checkPostAuth() is refused by form login and the other authenticators of the firewall, but can still be authenticated programmatically.
Applications are affected when they use a custom user checker that rejects users in checkPostAuth() and authenticate users programmatically, for example after a password reset or an e-mail verification link. A user whose account is rejected can then obtain an authenticated session through that flow. The default user checker does nothing in checkPostAuth(), so the default configuration is not affected.
The fix makes AuthenticatorManager::authenticateUser() dispatch the security.authentication.success event once the token is created and before it is stored, as authentications through the firewall do, so that checkPostAuth() runs and can reject the user.
| Software | Affected versions |
|---|---|
| sensiolabs / symfony | >= 0, < 5.4.56 |
| sensiolabs / symfony | >= 6.0.0, < 6.4.50 |
| sensiolabs / symfony | >= 7.0.0, < 7.4.23 |
| sensiolabs / symfony | >= 8.0.0, < 8.1.11 |
A vulnerability database tells you what is broken. Attack surface management tells you where it is running: it discovers your internet-facing assets and flags the ones affected by issues like this one.
What is attack surface management? →A security vulnerability is a weakness in software, hardware, or configuration that can be exploited to compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability. Many vulnerabilities are tracked as CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures), which provide a standardized identifier so teams can coordinate patching, mitigation, and risk assessment across tools and vendors.
CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) estimates technical severity, but it doesn't automatically equal business risk. Prioritize using context like internet exposure, affected asset criticality, known exploitation (proof-of-concept or in-the-wild), and whether compensating controls exist. A "Medium" CVSS on an exposed, production system can be more urgent than a "Critical" on an isolated, non-production host.
A vulnerability is the underlying weakness. An exploit is the method or code used to take advantage of it. A zero-day is a vulnerability that is unknown to the vendor or has no publicly available fix when attackers begin using it. In practice, risk increases sharply when exploitation becomes reliable or widespread.
Recurring findings usually come from incomplete Asset Discovery, inconsistent patch management, inherited images, and configuration drift. In modern environments, you also need to watch the software supply chain: dependencies, containers, build pipelines, and third-party services can reintroduce the same weakness even after you patch a single host. Unknown or unmanaged assets (often called Shadow IT) are a common reason the same issues resurface.
Use a simple, repeatable triage model: focus first on externally exposed assets, high-value systems (identity, VPN, email, production), vulnerabilities with known exploits, and issues that enable remote code execution or privilege escalation. Then enforce patch SLAs and track progress using consistent metrics so remediation is steady, not reactive.
SynScan combines attack surface monitoring and continuous security auditing to keep your inventory current, flag high-impact vulnerabilities early, and help you turn raw findings into a practical remediation plan.