CVE-2026-77337: CWE-290: Authentication Bypass by Spoofing in cakephp authentication
CakePHP Authentication plugin versions before 2.11.2, from 3.0.0 through 3.3.6, and from 4.0.0 through 4.2.0 contain an authentication bypass vulnerability due to unencrypted, forgeable legacy tokens in the CookieAuthenticator. This flaw also allows potential CPU or memory exhaustion. The issue is fixed in versions 2.11.2, 3.3.7, and 4.2.1.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
CVE-2026-77337 affects the CakePHP Authentication plugin, specifically when using the CookieAuthenticator with unencrypted legacy tokens that can be forged. This allows an attacker to bypass authentication controls (CWE-290) and potentially cause resource exhaustion (CWE-770). The vulnerability impacts versions prior to 2.11.2, versions 3.0.0 through 3.3.6, and versions 4.0.0 through 4.2.0. The vendor has addressed the issue in versions 2.11.2, 3.3.7, and 4.2.1.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation can lead to unauthorized access by bypassing authentication mechanisms and may also cause denial of service through CPU or memory exhaustion. The CVSS 4.0 score of 9.1 reflects critical severity with network attack vector, low attack complexity, no privileges required, no user interaction, and high impact on confidentiality and integrity.
Mitigation Recommendations
Upgrade affected CakePHP Authentication plugin versions to 2.11.2, 3.3.7, or 4.2.1 or later. These versions contain the official fix that addresses the authentication bypass and resource exhaustion issues. No other mitigations are specified or required once patched.
CVE-2026-77337: CWE-290: Authentication Bypass by Spoofing in cakephp authentication
Description
CakePHP Authentication plugin versions before 2.11.2, from 3.0.0 through 3.3.6, and from 4.0.0 through 4.2.0 contain an authentication bypass vulnerability due to unencrypted, forgeable legacy tokens in the CookieAuthenticator. This flaw also allows potential CPU or memory exhaustion. The issue is fixed in versions 2.11.2, 3.3.7, and 4.2.1.
CVSS v4.0
Score 9.1critical
Affected software
pkg:composer/cakephp/authenticationRun on your own infrastructure? Check whether these packages are installed with threat-finder — our free open-source scanner.
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
CVE-2026-77337 affects the CakePHP Authentication plugin, specifically when using the CookieAuthenticator with unencrypted legacy tokens that can be forged. This allows an attacker to bypass authentication controls (CWE-290) and potentially cause resource exhaustion (CWE-770). The vulnerability impacts versions prior to 2.11.2, versions 3.0.0 through 3.3.6, and versions 4.0.0 through 4.2.0. The vendor has addressed the issue in versions 2.11.2, 3.3.7, and 4.2.1.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation can lead to unauthorized access by bypassing authentication mechanisms and may also cause denial of service through CPU or memory exhaustion. The CVSS 4.0 score of 9.1 reflects critical severity with network attack vector, low attack complexity, no privileges required, no user interaction, and high impact on confidentiality and integrity.
Mitigation Recommendations
Upgrade affected CakePHP Authentication plugin versions to 2.11.2, 3.3.7, or 4.2.1 or later. These versions contain the official fix that addresses the authentication bypass and resource exhaustion issues. No other mitigations are specified or required once patched.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- GitHub_M
- Date Reserved
- 2026-08-20T19:24:11.618Z
- Cvss Version
- 4.0
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- null
Threat ID: 6a8cbd28acd9273b492d3dab
Added to database: 08/24/2026, 21:52:40 UTC
Last enriched: 08/24/2026, 22:08:09 UTC
Last updated: 08/25/2026, 00:00:18 UTC
Views: 4
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