CVE-2026-45332

A Broken Access Control vulnerability allows an unauthenticated attacker to retrieve the bcrypt password hash of every administrator account with a single POST request. The /_api/user-collection/create-first-user setup endpoint remains publicly accessible once initial configuration is complete and returns full serialized user data in the JSON response body.

Details

Affected version:

• bcrypt hash exposure: >= 2.0.0-alpha.1, <= 2.0.0-beta.27
• TOTP secret exposure: only 2.0.0-beta.27

Any Automad installation reachable over HTTP is at risk no prior account, credentials, or special network position are required to exploit this vulnerability.

Potential impacts include:

• Credential hash exposure enabling offline brute-force or dictionary attacks:
  bcrypt password hashes for every administrator are returned in a single unauthenticated response. While hashes are not plaintext passwords, the salt embedded in the hash is not secret it is visible in the response. Administrators using common or weak passwords are at direct risk of having their plaintext password recovered.
• TOTP secret exposure:
  The TOTP secret is included in the response starting with version 2.0.0-beta.27, the first release introducing TOTP-based two-factor authentication. If an attacker successfully recovers a plaintext password, two-factor authentication can be bypassed entirely. Only version 2.0.0-beta.27 is affected by this specific issue.
• Information disclosure:
  The response discloses the absolute filesystem path to the configuration directory. While the directory structure is publicly documented, the absolute server path may expose environment-specific information.

A critical operation is accessible without requiring any authentication. Typical impact: any user can invoke the privileged function.

CVE-2026-45332 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. 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. A fixed version is available (2.0.0-beta.28); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

Update to version 2.0.0-beta.28 or later.

This issue was reported privately and fixed prior to public disclosure.

1. What is CVE-2026-45332? CVE-2026-45332 is a high-severity missing authentication for critical function vulnerability in automad/automad (composer), affecting versions >= 2.0.0-alpha.1, <= 2.0.0-beta.27. It is fixed in 2.0.0-beta.28. A critical operation is accessible without requiring any authentication.
2. How severe is CVE-2026-45332? CVE-2026-45332 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (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.
3. Which versions of automad/automad are affected by CVE-2026-45332? automad/automad (composer) versions >= 2.0.0-alpha.1, <= 2.0.0-beta.27 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2026-45332? Yes. CVE-2026-45332 is fixed in 2.0.0-beta.28. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2026-45332 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-45332 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
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2026-45332 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.
7. How do I fix CVE-2026-45332? Upgrade automad/automad to 2.0.0-beta.28 or later.