SecureDrop lets API session tokens be reused against the web UI
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- High
- Impact type
- Security bypass
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- Low · High · None
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-863.
Summary
SecureDrop from 2.5.0 before 2.16.0 accepts API session tokens in the web UI because a corrupted session key prefix in Redis blurs the API and web session namespaces (CWE-863). An attacker who already has the secret onion address, authentication access and a recent unexpired API session token can reuse that token in the web UI until it expires, at most eight hours.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-30
Description from the CNA
SecureDrop is an open-source whistleblower submission system that media organizations can use to securely accept documents from, and communicate with anonymous sources. From 2.5.0 until 2.16.0, the `Journalist Interface` can accept an `API session` token against the `web UI` because its `SessionInterface` keeps a mutable session key prefix that changes with each request and persists across requests. API and web sessions were separated in `Redis` starting in version 2.5.0, but prefix corruption confuses those session namespaces. An attacker who already has access to the secret `Journalist Interface` onion address, the required authentication access and a recent nonexpired `API session` token can reuse that token against the `web UI` until its natural expiry, at most eight hours. The corrupted prefix can also prevent logout from deleting the correct `Redis` session, although normal expiry still applies. A compromised journalist can access encrypted submissions and perform broad actions on source submissions, but this issue does not expose plaintext submissions or affect the running system's availability. This issue is fixed in version 2.16.0.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| freedomofpress | securedrop | 2.5.0 to before 2.16.0 | 2.16.0 | Patch available | CNA |
- securedrop Vendorfreedomofpress Affected 2.5.0 to before 2.16.0 Fixed in 2.16.0 Patch available CNA
Remediation
Upgrade SecureDrop to version 2.16.0, which fixes this issue.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-30
- Fix · CNA securedrop (freedomofpress) Fixed in 2.16.0
Timeline
- 2026-10-30 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-50000
- 2026-10-30 CISA SSVC decision points changed
References
More freedomofpress vulnerabilities
- TI-2025-18590 Path traversal in SecureDrop Client API.download_reply() CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.1
- TI-2025-18591 Path traversal in sd-log Qubes virtual machine CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 4.5
- TI-2026-36827 securedrop-proxy origin limitation can be bypassed with redirects CVSS 3.1LOW 3.7
- TI-2026-86124 SecureDrop copies Onion Service credentials to Monitor Server CVSS 3.1LOW 2.6
Sources
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences