Punk::Plugin::TOTP versions before 0.05 for Perl accept another account's recovery code at the two-factor challenge because totp_use_recovery compares user identifiers numerically.
The helper searches the recovery model for the submitted code's digest alone, across every user's rows, so the ownership test that follows is the only thing binding a code to the account it was issued to. That test compares the row's user_id with the challenged user's id through Perl's integer coercion, and an identifier with no leading digits coerces to zero, so any two of them compare equal. User models keyed on a username, an email address or a UUID hit that case, and a numeric key compares as intended.
The challenge route feeds a submitted value to the helper once TOTP verification fails, so an attacker who knows a victim's password and holds a recovery code of their own passes the victim's second factor.
The helper searches the recovery model for the submitted code's digest alone, across every user's rows, so the ownership test that follows is the only thing binding a code to the account it was issued to. That test compares the row's user_id with the challenged user's id through Perl's integer coercion, and an identifier with no leading digits coerces to zero, so any two of them compare equal. User models keyed on a username, an email address or a UUID hit that case, and a numeric key compares as intended.
The challenge route feeds a submitted value to the helper once TOTP verification fails, so an attacker who knows a victim's password and holds a recovery code of their own passes the victim's second factor.
Metrics
Affected Vendors & Products
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Advisories
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Fixes
Solution
Upgrade to Punk-TOTP 0.05 or later.
Workaround
For deployments that cannot upgrade to 0.05, stop issuing recovery codes and delete the existing totp_recovery rows from the token table. The challenge route then has nothing to match and the second factor rests on TOTP codes alone.
References
History
Tue, 25 Aug 2026 21:30:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Punk::Plugin::TOTP versions before 0.05 for Perl accept another account's recovery code at the two-factor challenge because totp_use_recovery compares user identifiers numerically. The helper searches the recovery model for the submitted code's digest alone, across every user's rows, so the ownership test that follows is the only thing binding a code to the account it was issued to. That test compares the row's user_id with the challenged user's id through Perl's integer coercion, and an identifier with no leading digits coerces to zero, so any two of them compare equal. User models keyed on a username, an email address or a UUID hit that case, and a numeric key compares as intended. The challenge route feeds a submitted value to the helper once TOTP verification fails, so an attacker who knows a victim's password and holds a recovery code of their own passes the victim's second factor. | |
| Title | Punk::Plugin::TOTP versions before 0.05 for Perl accept another account's recovery code at the two-factor challenge because totp_use_recovery compares user identifiers numerically | |
| Weaknesses | CWE-1025 CWE-305 |
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| References |
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MITRE
Status: PUBLISHED
Assigner: CPANSec
Published:
Updated: 2026-08-25T21:21:08.073Z
Reserved: 2026-08-24T21:34:55.931Z
Link: CVE-2026-78619
Vulnrichment
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NVD
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Redhat
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OpenCVE Enrichment
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