OpenReception has unauthenticated GLOBAL_ADMIN account creation post-bootstrap
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Security bypass
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-862.
Summary
OpenReception's appointment booking software provides an end-to-end encrypted appointment booking platform. Prior to version 1.0.1, a fully provisioned OpenReception instance accepts unauthenticated POST requests to `/setup/create-admin-account` and creates additional GLOBAL_ADMIN accounts without verifying that an admin already exists. Any unauthenticated network attacker who can submit a same-origin form POST gains full platform-level administrative control. The newly created account is `is_active=true` with `confirmation_state=ACCESS_GRANTED` and does not require completing email confirmation; the GLOBAL_ADMIN row is created active and immediately usable. Login and tenant enumeration succeed without any further interaction. This is distinct from the deployment race condition already documented on the `Claiming an instance` page. That documented race covers the window between deployment and first claim. The bug reported here works after the operator has properly claimed and configured the instance: the layout-level guard that protects the setup page only redirects on GET, while the `default` form action handler creates the user without rechecking `adminExists()`. Three GLOBAL_ADMIN accounts were created in succession during testing, with no rate limiting observed. Audit-specific event logging beyond standard application logs was not assessed; the standard `[error]` line that surfaces only when a uniqueness conflict is hit is not the same as a security event for "additional admin created post-claim". The form post is rejected for browser drive-by CSRF by SvelteKit's built-in same-origin check, but any tool that supplies a matching `Origin` header (curl, Burp, automated scanners, server-side proxies) bypasses this trivially. No additional preconditions exist. Users should upgrade to version 1.0.1 to receive a patch.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- Poc
- Automatable
- Yes
- Technical impact
- Total
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| open-reception | appointment-booking-software | before 1.0.1 | 1.0.1 | Patch available | CNA |
- appointment-booking-software Vendoropen-reception Affected before 1.0.1 Fixed in 1.0.1 Patch available CNA
Remediation
- Fix · CNA appointment-booking-software (open-reception) Fixed in 1.0.1
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-48085
References
More open-reception vulnerabilities
- TI-2026-35529 OpenReception vulnerable to unauthenticated staff crypto poisoning that breaks E2E recipient directory CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.4
- TI-2026-35528 OpenReception: WebAuthn passkey injection allows account takeover CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2026-35527 OpenReception: Tenant admin self-promotes to GLOBAL_ADMIN CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.9
- TI-2026-79990 Host header poisoning in OpenReception enables account takeover CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.3
- TI-2026-35522 OpenReception vulnerable to stored click-triggered XSS via javascript: tenant links rendered into patient-facing footer CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.1
- TI-2026-35521 Information disclosure in open-reception appointment-booking-software CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.0
Sources
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences