LinkAce: Password Reset Poisoning via X-Forwarded-Host Header Injection Leading to Account Takeover
LinkAce is a self-hosted archive to collect website links. Prior to 2.5.4, a password reset poisoning vulnerability was identified in the application due to improper trust of user-controlled HTTP headers. The application uses the X-Forwarded-Host header when generating password reset URLs. By manipulating this header during a password reset request, an attacker can inject an attacker-controlled domain into the reset link sent via email. As a result, the victim receives a password reset email containing a malicious link pointing to an attacker-controlled domain. When the victim clicks the link, the password reset token is transmitted to the attacker-controlled server. An attacker can capture this token and use it to reset the victim’s password, leading to full account takeover. This vulnerability is fixed in 2.5.4.
- Published
- Apr 21, 2026
- Updated
- Jun 17, 2026
- EPSS
- 0.4% · 31th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-601
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Report tools
Action score
32
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 32 / 40 · 8.1 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 0 / 30 · 0.4%
CISA SSVC decision
- Exploitation
- none
- Automatable
- no
- Technical impact
- total
Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.
CNA vs NVD score
- NVD
- —
- CNA · GitHub_M
- 8.1
- NVD has not scored this yet; the score shown is the CNA’s.
The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.
Affected systems
—
Versions reported by the vendor
Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (GitHub_M). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.
Kovah LinkAce
- < 2.5.4affected
Same product
kovah: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2026-45343LinkAce - Stored XSS via Unsanitized SSO User's Name Rendered in Admin Audit Log Allows Session Hijacking34Monitor
- CVE-2026-45344LinkAce: Setup database password newline injection enables pre-auth RCE on uninitialized instances32Monitor
- CVE-2026-49436LinkAce vulnerable to stored XSS via 'javascript:' URI in Bulk Link API29Monitor
- CVE-2026-45342LinkAce: IDOR in Update Policies Allows Any Authenticated User to Overwrite Other Users' Links, Lists, Tags, and Notes28Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Kovah LinkAce | 2.5.4 · description | Vendor (CNA) |
Exploit status
No known public exploit
No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
No dated events beyond publication.
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
No commit or PR link among the references.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
No credits in the CNA record.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
No known public program.
Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
- No account or password is required.
- A user must open a link or visit a page.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- high · data can be read
- Integrity
- high · data or configuration can be modified
- Availability
- none
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- High
- Integrity impact
- High
- Availability impact
- None
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-601 · URL Redirection to Untrusted Site ('Open Redirect')CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
nvd-secondary
Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
Attack patterns (CAPEC)
ATT&CK techniques
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Noroxi analysis
No Noroxi analysis for this record yet
We don't hand-write analysis for all 385,000+ vulnerabilities; that wouldn't be honest. For notable, high-impact vulnerabilities our team writes the mechanism, detection and remediation steps.
We use this product, ask for helpChange log
- Fix✗ → ✓
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References
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.