Vulnerability Database

361,925

Total vulnerabilities in the database

Kimai Password Reset Link Remains Valid After Password Change — kimai / kimai

Weak Password Recovery Mechanism for Forgotten Password

Summary

The LoginLink signature used for password reset URLs covers only the user's id — it does not include the password hash. After a user clicks a reset link and successfully changes their password, the same link remains valid for up to 2 additional uses within a 1-hour window. Anyone who intercepts or caches the original link can log in as the user even after the password has been changed.

Details

config/packages/security.yaml:73-78 configures the login link:

login_link: check_route: link_login_check signature_properties: ['id'] lifetime: 900 max_uses: 3

The HMAC signature covers only id, not password, username, or email. The effective lifetime for password reset links is extended to 3600 seconds by PasswordResetController.php:106-119 via getPasswordResetRetryLifetime().

After the first successful use (where the user sets a new password), the __pw_reset__ session flag is cleared by WizardController.php:105. Subsequent uses of the same link bypass the forced-password-reset wizard and grant a normal authenticated session.

Symfony's LoginLinkHandler::consumeLoginLink decrements a per-link counter but allows up to 3 total uses. Re-issuing a new link does not invalidate the old one.

The same vulnerability affects UserLoginLinkCommand.php:77, which generates admin-on-demand login links with the same signature scheme.

PoC

Step 1 — Generate a password reset link:

docker exec <kimai_container> bin/console kimai:user:login-link <username>

Step 2 — Use the link to log in and change the password.

Step 3 — Open the same link in a different browser or incognito session.

The link logs the attacker in as a fully authenticated user, despite the password having been changed in Step 2.

Step 4 — The link works a third time (3 total uses within 1 hour).

Impact

A password reset link that leaks through any of the following channels remains a valid authentication credential even after the legitimate user has changed their password: corporate mail-relay scanners that pre-click links (Microsoft Defender ATP, Mimecast, Barracuda), shared inboxes, browser history sync across devices, HTTP referrer headers, or proxy/WAF logs. The user believes they have secured their account by setting a new password, but the leaked link still grants full access for up to 2 additional uses within the hour.

Solution

Login links now also use the password hash for generating the signature, which will immediately expire the link after the user changed the password.

Read <https://www.kimai.org/en/security/ghsa-m492-gv72-xvxj> for more information.

No technical information available.

Frequently Asked Questions

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.