Authentication Bypass For Endpoints With Anonymous Access in Opencast
Impact
Using a remember-me cookie with an arbitrary username can cause Opencast to assume proper authentication for that user even if the remember-me cookie was incorrect given that the attacked endpoint also allows anonymous access.
This way, an attacker can, for example, fake a remember-me token, assume the identity of the global system administrator and request non-public content from the search service without ever providing any proper authentication.
Patches
This problem is fixed in Opencast 7.6 and Opencast 8.1
Workarounds
As a workaround for older, unpatched versions, disabling remember-me cookies in etc/security/mh_default_org.xml will mitigate the problem but will obviously also disable this feature without obvious indication. To deactivate this, remove the following line from the security configuration:
<sec:remember-me … />References
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Open an issue in opencast/opencast
- For security-relevant information, email us at security@opencast.org
Affected software
Click a technology to see all vulnerabilities affecting it.
| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Java / Kotlin (Maven) | org.opencastproject:opencast-kernel | < 7.6, >= 8.0, < 8.1 | 7.6, 8.1 |
References
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-285- Platform
- Java / Kotlin (Maven)
- Package
org.opencastproject:opencast-kernel- Disclosed
- 30.01.2020
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 13:19
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-vmm6-w4cf-7f3x - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: org.opencastproject:opencast-kernel
All published vulnerabilities of this package (Java / Kotlin (Maven)), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.
- Total entries
- 7
- First → latest
- 01.2020 07.2025
- Without a fix
- 0
- Exploited in attacks
- 0
Severity breakdown
- Critical 1
- High 2
- Medium 4
Disclosures per year
- 2020: 4
- 2021: 1
- 2022: 1
- 2023: 0
- 2024: 0
- 2025: 1
- 2026: 0
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