Summary
The /api/auth/login endpoint contains a logic flaw that allows unauthenticated remote attackers to enumerate valid usernames by measuring the application's response time.
Details
The logic flaw can be located at the below point in source:
https://github.com/Sync-in/server/blob/7868bb2b3025f92e6c38087456304758713971b2/backend/src/applications/users/services/users-queries.service.ts#L91-L95
Endpoints used for authentication should respond to the user with a consistent cadence, preventing remote actors from deriving sensitive information about an application based on backend behavior. In the case of authentication endpoints, this timing discrepancy is often caused by short-circuiting due to the lack of a matched user to compare against - as is the case with Sync-in.
Validation
TickTock Enum (Burp Suite Extension) was utilized to validate this finding. Authentication attempts with a valid username see a response from the application at around 350-400ms on average, while invalid usernames are returned at only 95-100ms on average.
Impact
An unauthenticated remote attacker can enumerate valid usernames. This significantly weakens the application's security posture by facilitating targeted brute-force attacks, stuffing, social engineering, and a suite of other more targeted attacks.
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
Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2026-41161? CVE-2026-41161 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in @sync-in/server (npm), affecting versions <= 2.1.0. It is fixed in 2.2.0.
- Which versions of @sync-in/server are affected by CVE-2026-41161? @sync-in/server (npm) versions <= 2.1.0 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2026-41161? Yes. CVE-2026-41161 is fixed in 2.2.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2026-41161 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-41161 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-2026-41161 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.
- How do I fix CVE-2026-41161? Upgrade
@sync-in/serverto 2.2.0 or later.