Cyber Resilience

CVE-2019-18818

Auth Bypass in Strapi ≤ 1.6.4

Public PoCHigh EPSSAuth Bypass
Published
07 November 2019
Modified
21 November 2024
CVSS Score v3.1 9.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.98 99.9th percentile
Risk Priority 97 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2019-18818 is a critical-severity Weak Password Recovery Mechanism for Forgotten Password (CWE-640) vulnerability in Strapi Strapi. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).

Operationally, ranked in the top 0.1% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

strapi before 3.0.0-beta.17.5 mishandles password resets within packages/strapi-admin/controllers/Auth.js and packages/strapi-plugin-users-permissions/controllers/Auth.js.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

Likely ATT&CK TechniquesAI

Techniques this vulnerability likely enables, inferred from its description, weakness type, and attributed-actor tradecraft. Confidence is per-technique.

T1078 Valid Accounts Stealthconfidence: HIGH
Improper password reset handling enables attackers to take over accounts and use valid credentials for unauthorized access.
T1098 Account Manipulation Persistenceconfidence: MEDIUM
Vulnerable reset logic can be abused to manipulate or add credentials to existing accounts.
inferred from description + CWE · MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise v19.0

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2026-27886Same product: Strapi Strapi
CVE-2024-56143Same product: Strapi Strapi
CVE-2024-52588Same product: Strapi Strapi
CVE-2023-38507Same product: Strapi Strapi
CVE-2023-37263Same product: Strapi Strapi
CVE-2023-22621Same product: Strapi Strapi
CVE-2023-34093Same product: Strapi Strapi
CVE-2024-37818Same product: Strapi Strapi
CVE-2023-34235Same product: Strapi Strapi
CVE-2025-64526Same product: Strapi Strapi

Affected Assets

strapi
strapi
3.0.0 · ≤ 1.6.4

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V7.4.3

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

addresses: CWE-640

Establishing procedures for lost or compromised authenticators addresses weak password recovery mechanisms.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.AA-01 mostly match
prevents

Credential lifecycle management directly includes password reset/recovery flows.

PR.AA-02 mostly match
prevents

Identity proofing is the core control that prevents weak or bypassed recovery mechanisms.

PR.AA-03 partial match
prevents

Authentication policy covers strength/MFA but does not address recovery path weaknesses.

PR.PS-06 partial match
prevents

Secure SDLC reduces implementation flaws but is not specific to password-recovery design.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

degrades

Strong authentication-information lifecycle rules directly address weak password-recovery flows.

prevents

Secure-SDLC practices can embed strong recovery design, yet the control is broader than this single weakness.

prevents

Application-security requirements can mandate secure recovery flows, but the control covers many other requirements.

prevents

Secure-coding standards can prevent weak recovery implementations, yet the control is wider in scope.

mitigates

Secure-authentication requirements include robust forgotten-password procedures.

none

Proper access-rights provisioning can limit who can trigger recovery, but does not fix the recovery mechanism itself.

References