Account pre-hijacking in Prowler API through unverified social login
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- Passive
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Attack requirements
- Present
- Impact type
- Security bypass
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · None
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 4.0 · CNA. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-287.
Summary
Prowler from 5.4.0 before 5.35.0 contains an improper authentication flaw (CWE-287) in the Prowler API social account linking. The API links a Google or GitHub login to an existing local account with the same email address without checking that the address is verified. A remote unauthenticated attacker who registers an email address before its owner can keep access to that account after the owner signs in with Google or GitHub.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-28
Description from the CNA
Improper Authentication in the social account linking path of the Prowler API in Prowler from 5.4.0 before 5.35.0 allows a remote unauthenticated attacker to obtain persistent access to the account of a user who has not yet registered, because ProwlerSocialAccountAdapter.pre_social_login() in api/src/backend/api/adapters.py links a Google or GitHub login to any existing local account that has the same email address as the one returned by the provider, without requiring that the address has been verified by the provider or on the existing account, and without any other check that both accounts belong to the same person. Self registration is open and the new account is usable at once, because UserViewSet.get_permissions() in api/src/backend/api/v1/views.py grants AllowAny to the create action, ACCOUNT_EMAIL_VERIFICATION is set to none in api/src/backend/config/settings/social_login.py, and the Django ModelBackend checks only the password and is_active, not the django-allauth EmailAddress record. An attacker who registers an email address before its owner keeps the password set at registration after the link is made, because sociallogin.connect() does not reset the password and does not disable the existing account, and the owner who later signs in with Google or GitHub is logged into the attacker's account. django-allauth makes the same email based link on its own, because SOCIALACCOUNT_EMAIL_AUTHENTICATION and SOCIALACCOUNT_EMAIL_AUTHENTICATION_AUTO_CONNECT are both set to True in the same settings module. This gives the attacker the cloud provider credentials, scan findings and tenant memberships held in 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
Remediation
Upgrade Prowler to 5.35.0, which fixes this flaw.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-28
- Fix · CNA Prowler (Prowler) Fixed in 5.35.0
Timeline
- 2026-10-14 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-100169
- 2026-10-15 Alias added: GHSA-5qw5-54v9-9g7q
- 2026-10-16 Priority changed: MEDIUM → LOW
- 2026-10-16 CISA SSVC decision points changed
References
Patch 2
More Prowler vulnerabilities
- TI-2026-42317 Prowler: SAML Domain Claiming Enables Cross-Tenant Account Takeover CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.6
Sources
- CVE-2026-100169 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-100169 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-5qw5-54v9-9g7q · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
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