Kimai: Pre-2FA KIMAI_SESSION cookie grants full authenticated REST API access, bypassing TOTP

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS 4.0

7.1 · CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N · score source

EPSS

• CVE-2026-52827: 0.58% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 47.54 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

Summary Two-factor authentication (TOTP) can be fully bypassed for the REST API. The KIMAISESSION cookie returned in the response to the login request; issued after only the password is verified, before the TOTP step; is already accepted as authenticated by every /api/ endpoint. So after submitting just the password, the web UI correctly holds the browser at the TOTP screen (/en/auth/2fa), but the cookie from that same login response can be replayed against the API to act as the user without ever entering the second factor. This affects any account with 2FA enabled and requires only the account password. Details Affected Component - The API firewall / authorization. config/packages/security.yaml guards the API with { path: '^/api', roles: ISAUTHENTICATED }. During 2FA the session carries a Scheb TwoFactorToken, which satisfies ISAUTHENTICATED (it is a real, non-anonymous token). App\API\Authentication\ApiRequestMatcher returns !$request-hasPreviousSession(), so a request that carries…

Published by the source

14 Jul 2026, 00:33 UTC

Last modified by the source

14 Jul 2026, 00:33 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 14:50 UTC

1. Revision 1 · created · 26 Oct 2026

   Published from ghsa record GHSA-v8hx-4vx8-wc96

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2026-52827

Advisory: Kimai: Pre-2FA KIMAI_SESSION cookie grants full authenticated REST API access, bypassing TOTP
IDs: CVE-2026-52827, GHSA-v8hx-4vx8-wc96
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2026-52827 (revision 1, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 14:50 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: High (CVSS 7.1)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: kimai/kimai 2.59.0. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- Packagist kimai/kimai: affected < 2.59.0; fixed in 2.59.0

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- Packagist kimai/kimai: check the installed version with your package manager.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on kimai/kimai.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-v8hx-4vx8-wc96 (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-v8hx-4vx8-wc96 lists affected ranges: Packagist kimai/kimai >=0 <2.59.0)

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