CVE-2025-26486 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting Beta80's Life 1st Identity Manager version 1.5.2.14234. The core issue stems from the use of broken or risky cryptographic algorithms for password hashing within the product. Specifically, the vulnerability involves the use of password hashes generated with insufficient computational effort, weak hash functions, and predictable salts. These cryptographic weaknesses fall under several CWE categories: CWE-327 (Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm), CWE-916 (Use of Password Hash With Insufficient Computational Effort), CWE-328 (Use of a One-Way Hash with a Predictable Salt), and CWE-760 (Use of a One-Way Hash Without a Salt). Because the password hashes are weakly protected, an attacker who gains access to these hashes—likely through some form of privilege escalation or insider threat, as the CVSS vector indicates local attack with high privileges—can perform brute-force or collision attacks to recover user passwords. The vulnerability does not directly impact integrity or availability but has a high impact on confidentiality, as it can lead to unauthorized access to user accounts. The CVSS vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N) indicates that exploitation requires local access and high privileges but no user interaction, and the scope is changed, meaning the compromise can affect resources beyond the initially vulnerable component. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches have been linked yet, indicating that organizations using this version of Life 1st Identity Manager remain at risk until remediation is applied. The vulnerability is significant because Life 1st is used as an authentication service, so compromising it can lead to broader access to connected applications and services.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability can be substantial, especially for those relying on Beta80 Life 1st Identity Manager for authentication services. Successful exploitation could allow attackers to recover user passwords, leading to unauthorized access to sensitive systems and data. This is particularly critical for sectors with stringent data protection requirements under GDPR, such as finance, healthcare, and government agencies. The compromise of authentication credentials can facilitate lateral movement within networks, data breaches, and potential regulatory penalties. Since the vulnerability requires local access with high privileges, insider threats or attackers who have already compromised some level of access pose the greatest risk. The changed scope of the vulnerability means that a breach in the authentication manager could cascade to other connected systems, amplifying the damage.

1. Immediate mitigation should focus on upgrading or patching the Life 1st Identity Manager to a version where this cryptographic weakness is resolved. If no patch is available, consider disabling or isolating the vulnerable authentication service until a fix is applied. 2. Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) across all systems relying on Life 1st to reduce the risk posed by compromised passwords. 3. Conduct a thorough audit of user privileges and access controls to minimize the number of users with local high privileges, reducing the attack surface. 4. Monitor and restrict access to password hash storage locations to prevent unauthorized retrieval. 5. Employ network segmentation to isolate authentication services from general user environments. 6. Use stronger cryptographic standards for password hashing, such as Argon2, bcrypt, or PBKDF2 with unique, unpredictable salts and sufficient computational cost. 7. Educate administrators and users about the risks of password reuse and encourage strong password policies. 8. Implement continuous monitoring and anomaly detection to identify suspicious activities related to authentication services.