Summary
OpenAM Arbitrary OAuth Token Minting via Push Registration
Description
An Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key (CWE-639) exists in OpenAM's stateful OAuth2 token-read path. Under certain conditions, this may allow an attacker to forge OAuth2 bearer tokens and OIDC ID tokens with arbitrary subject, client, realm, and scope. This affects OpenAM Community Edition through version 16.0.6.
The OAuth2 token-read path reads caller-supplied token identifiers from the shared Core Token Store (CTS) without placing them in an OAuth-only namespace and without binding the row's trusted CTS type to the expected OAuth token family, so any CTS row whose BLOB claims to be an OAuth token is accepted on the read path with no integrity check.
Impact
OpenAM Community Edition deployments through version 16.0.6 with the OAuth2 Provider service enabled in a realm are potentially affected, but the vulnerable read path is only reachable once an attacker can place attacker-controlled JSON into the shared CTS under an identifier they know. For example, an anonymous Push Notification SNS callback handler, reachable by any low-privileged user in a Push Notification-enabled realm after a single legitimate Push registration can trigger the exploit.
In any deployment where such a primitive exists, an attacker can forge OAuth2 bearer tokens with attacker-chosen userName, clientID, realm, and scope. The compromise does not by itself create an OpenAM SSO session or grant admin-console access.
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.
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This has been patched in OpenAM Community Edition version 16.1.1. Users are encouraged to update to the latest release.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2026-46498? CVE-2026-46498 is a high-severity security vulnerability in org.openidentityplatform.openam:openam-oauth2 (maven), affecting versions < 16.1.1. It is fixed in 16.1.1.
- Which versions of org.openidentityplatform.openam:openam-oauth2 are affected by CVE-2026-46498? org.openidentityplatform.openam:openam-oauth2 (maven) versions < 16.1.1 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2026-46498? Yes. CVE-2026-46498 is fixed in 16.1.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2026-46498 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-46498 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-2026-46498 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-2026-46498? Upgrade
org.openidentityplatform.openam:openam-oauth2to 16.1.1 or later.