PasswordPusher Passphrase Brute-Force Vulnerability

Executive Summary

CVE-2026-61458 is a brute-force vulnerability in PasswordPusher versions before 2.9.2. The vulnerability exists in the POST /p/:token/access endpoint, which does not implement route-specific rate limiting or per-push lockout mechanisms.

Attackers who know a push token can systematically guess passphrases at a rate of 120 attempts per minute without triggering any defenses at the push level. This makes it possible to recover short or dictionary-derived passphrases within hours or days.

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Detection Guidance

To detect this vulnerability on your network or system, you can monitor for unusual activity targeting the POST /p/:token/access endpoint in PasswordPusher. Since the vulnerability involves brute-force attacks on passphrases, look for repeated access attempts to this endpoint with different passphrase guesses.

• Check web server or application logs for high volumes of POST requests to paths matching /p/[a-zA-Z0-9]+/access. Tools like grep or awk can help filter these logs. Example command: grep -E 'POST /p/[a-zA-Z0-9]+/access' /var/log/nginx/access.log
• Use network monitoring tools (e.g., Wireshark, tcpdump) to capture traffic to the PasswordPusher instance and filter for HTTP POST requests to the vulnerable endpoint. Example command: tcpdump -i eth0 -A 'port 80 and tcp[((tcp[12:1] & 0xf0) >> 2):4] = 0x504F5354'
• Deploy intrusion detection systems (IDS) like Snort or Suricata with rules to alert on repeated failed access attempts to the /p/:token/access endpoint.
• Verify the installed version of PasswordPusher. If it is before 2.9.2, the system is vulnerable. Check the version via the application's interface or configuration files.

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Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can impact you in several ways:

• Unauthorized access to sensitive information: If an attacker successfully guesses the passphrase for a push token, they can access the shared data intended for authorized recipients only.
• Data breaches: Confidential or sensitive data shared via PasswordPusher could be exposed if the passphrase is compromised.
• Loss of trust: If sensitive information is accessed by unauthorized parties, it could lead to a loss of trust among users or customers who rely on the security of the platform.
• Operational disruptions: If attackers exploit this vulnerability to gain access to critical systems or data, it could disrupt normal operations.

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Compliance Impact

This vulnerability can affect compliance with common standards and regulations in the following ways:

• GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation): If the exposed data includes personal information of EU citizens, this vulnerability could lead to a violation of GDPR. GDPR requires organizations to implement appropriate technical measures to protect personal data, and a brute-force vulnerability may be seen as a failure to do so. Non-compliance can result in significant fines.
• HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act): If the shared data includes protected health information (PHI), this vulnerability could lead to a HIPAA violation. HIPAA requires covered entities to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of PHI. A brute-force attack that exposes PHI could be considered a breach under HIPAA, leading to penalties and required breach notifications.
• Other standards: Similar impacts could apply to other compliance frameworks like PCI DSS (for payment card data), SOX (for financial data), or industry-specific regulations that mandate data protection measures.

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Mitigation Strategies

To mitigate this vulnerability, follow these immediate steps:

• Upgrade PasswordPusher to version 2.9.2 or later, as this version includes fixes for the brute-force vulnerability.
• If upgrading is not immediately possible, implement rate limiting on the /p/:token/access endpoint to restrict the number of passphrase attempts per minute. This can be done using web server configurations (e.g., Nginx, Apache) or application-level middleware.
• Enable per-push lockout mechanisms to block access to a push after a certain number of failed passphrase attempts. This can be implemented via custom code or third-party security plugins.
• Use strong, complex passphrases for pushes to make brute-force attacks impractical. Avoid dictionary words or short passphrases.
• Monitor logs and network traffic for signs of brute-force attacks targeting the vulnerable endpoint and block suspicious IP addresses using firewalls or fail2ban.
• Consider temporarily disabling the PasswordPusher service if it is not critical until the vulnerability can be fully patched.

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