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CVE-2026-48896 Joomla! Project CVE debrief

CVE-2026-48896 is a HIGH severity vulnerability (CVSS 8.2) in Joomla! Core related to insufficient state checks that enable two-factor authentication (2FA) bypass. The vulnerability was published on 2026-05-26 and is currently undergoing analysis by NVD. The issue stems from improper authentication (CWE-287) where state validation failures allow attackers to circumvent MFA protections. Joomla! has published a security advisory addressing this core MFA authentication bypass. Organizations using Joomla! should prioritize reviewing their MFA implementation and applying available security updates.

Vendor
Joomla! Project
Product
Joomla! CMS
CVSS
HIGH 8.2
CISA KEV
Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published
2026-05-26
Original CVE updated
2026-05-26
Advisory published
2026-05-26
Advisory updated
2026-05-26

Who should care

Organizations running Joomla! CMS with MFA/2FA enabled; security teams responsible for web application authentication security; identity and access management administrators

Technical summary

Insufficient state validation in Joomla! Core's multi-factor authentication implementation allows authentication bypass. The vulnerability (CWE-287) enables attackers to circumvent 2FA checks due to improper state management during the authentication flow. CVSS 4.0 scoring reflects network accessibility, low attack complexity, and high integrity impact with no confidentiality or availability impact. The attack requires no privileges and no user interaction.

Defensive priority

HIGH

Recommended defensive actions

  • Review Joomla! security advisory for patch availability and apply updates to affected systems
  • Audit MFA implementation to verify state validation controls are functioning correctly
  • Monitor authentication logs for anomalous 2FA bypass attempts
  • Verify Joomla! Core version and confirm it is not affected by this vulnerability
  • Implement defense-in-depth controls including session monitoring and anomaly detection for authentication flows

Evidence notes

CVE published 2026-05-26T17:16:54.213Z; modified 2026-05-26T19:06:58.447Z. NVD status: Undergoing Analysis. CVSS 4.0 vector indicates network attack vector with low attack complexity and high integrity impact. Weakness classified as CWE-287 (Improper Authentication). Vendor evidence from reference domain candidate points to Joomla.

Official resources

2026-05-26