Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
ScratchVerifier could let an attacker take over an account on a site that used the vulnerable login flow. The issue depended on a verification code collision during overlapping login attempts and required the real user to interact with the login process. The listed fix changed repeated login attempts so they produce different verification codes.
Executive priority
Treat this as high priority where ScratchVerifier protects real user accounts. The business risk is account takeover, but exposure appears narrow and timing-dependent. Prioritize confirming whether the component or a clone is in use before broader response work.
Technical view
CVE-2020-26236 is a CWE-287 authentication flaw in ScratchVerifier before commit a603769. Parallel login attempts for the same user could share a verification code, allowing the wrong session to complete if timing and user interaction aligned. The commit changes duplicate starts to generate different codes, making both competing attempts fail instead.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to sites using ScratchVerifier before commit a603769, including independently hosted clones that did not merge the fix. The source bundle does not identify downstream vendors, hosted instances, package versions, or broader ecosystem usage.
Exploitation context
The sources do not show KEV listing or active exploitation. They describe a possible attack requiring network access, no privileges, user interaction, and difficult timing. The advisory notes practical impact is mainly for users who comment the code and then delay before finishing login.
Researcher notes
Evidence is strongest for upstream ScratchVerifier before commit a603769. The bundle lacks package release mapping, affected deployment counts, exploit-in-the-wild evidence, and downstream clone status. Validation should focus on code lineage and whether duplicate login attempts now produce separate verification codes.
Mitigation direction
- Update ScratchVerifier to commit a603769 or later.
- If using a clone, merge the upstream authentication fix.
- Identify sites where ScratchVerifier is used for account login.
- Check vendor or project guidance for any later maintained release.
- Monitor authentication logs for unusual failed-then-successful login patterns.
Validation and detection
- Inventory applications using ScratchVerifier or derived code.
- Confirm the deployed code includes commit a603769 behavior.
- Run a controlled regression test for duplicate login starts.
- Review authentication logs around reported failed login completions.
- Verify self-hosted clones are not pinned before the fix.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-287: Credential and account abuse lookup
Authentication and credential weaknesses can make valid-account abuse and credential telemetry useful review starting points. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2020-26236 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 7.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H1.65.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.5HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://github.com/ScratchVerifier/ScratchVerifier/security/advisories/GHSA-99cr-hvf7-85g9CVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://github.com/ScratchVerifier/ScratchVerifier/commit/a603769010abf8c1bede91af46e4945314e4aa4aCVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Improper Authentication
Improper Authentication represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.
