LimeSurvey Password Reset Host Header Injection Discloses Reset Token
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- Passive
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Attack requirements
- None
- Impact type
- Security bypass
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 4.0 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and GitHub. Impact type from CWE-640.
Summary
LimeSurvey constructs account password-reset links from the client-supplied HTTP Host header without validating it. The optional allowedHosts allowlist that would constrain this is undefined in the default (and documented) configuration, so LSHttpRequest::checkIsAllowedHost() results in no operation. A remote, unauthenticated attacker who submits a forgotten-password request for a known account (requiring only the target's username and email) with a spoofed Host header causes LimeSurvey to email that account a reset link whose hostname is attacker-controlled while embedding the genuine validation_key. When the recipient or an automated inbound mail-security link scanner dereferences the link, the valid reset token is disclosed to the attacker, who replays it against the legitimate host's newPassword endpoint to set a new password and take over the account.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LimeSurvey | LimeSurvey | up to 7.0 | 7.0.1 | Patch available | CNA |
| — | limesurvey/limesurvey (Packagist) | up to 7.0.0-beta1 | — | No fix listed | GHSA-5c37-5j7w-8mh8 |
- LimeSurvey VendorLimeSurvey Affected up to 7.0 Fixed in 7.0.1 Patch available CNA
- limesurvey/limesurvey (Packagist) Vendor— Affected up to 7.0.0-beta1 Fixed in — No fix listed GHSA-5c37-5j7w-8mh8
CPE names Threatist (inferred) · 1
Inferred from how NVD named this product before; not given by a source.
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:limesurvey:limesurvey:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | — | — | LimeSurvey |
- cpe:2.3:a:limesurvey:limesurvey:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions — — ·LimeSurvey
Remediation
- Fix · CNA LimeSurvey (LimeSurvey) Fixed in 7.0.1
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-50635
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-5c37-5j7w-8mh8
- 2026-10-07 EPSS moved to the 50th–90th percentile
- 2026-10-25 EPSS moved to the below the 50th percentile
References
Patch 1
More LimeSurvey vulnerabilities
- TI-2020-09194 LimeSurvey before 4.1.12+200324 contains a path traversal vulnerability in… CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2025-24280 LimeSurvey 2.0+ - 2.06+ Unauthenticated Arbitrary File Download via Serialized Backup Payload CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.7
- TI-2024-28662 An issue in the js_localize.php function of LimeSurvey v6.6.2 and before allows attackers… CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2024-26167 Lime Survey <= 6.5.12 is vulnerable to Cross Site Request Forgery (CSRF). CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2026-45174 LimeSurvey Community Edition 7.0.5 - Reflected XSS in HTML editor popup CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.5
- TI-2026-61986 LimeSurvey Community Edition 7.0.14 - Reflected XSS through unescaped LSS survey-import warnings CVSS 4.0HIGH 7.4
Sources
- CVE-2026-50635 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-50635 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-5c37-5j7w-8mh8 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences