CVE-2026-45336 StratonWebDesigners CVE debrief

Who should care

Users of HireFlow 1.2 and earlier should update to version 1.3 or later to mitigate this vulnerability. This vulnerability affects operators who use HireFlow for interview management and security teams responsible for vulnerability management. The vulnerability has a high impact on security and should be addressed promptly.

Technical summary

HireFlow 1.2 and earlier uses a hard-coded Flask secret_key to sign session cookies. This allows unauthenticated attackers who know the public source value to forge cookies containing role=admin and user_id values, effectively bypassing authentication. The vulnerability is due to the use of a hard-coded secret key, which is a security risk. Users should update to version 1.3 or later to fix this issue.

Defensive priority

High

Recommended defensive actions

• Update HireFlow to version 1.3 or later
• Review and rotate any existing session cookies
• Monitor for suspicious login activity
• Confirm whether affected product deployments exist in managed environments and assign an owner for follow-up
• Review compensating controls for exposed systems while remediation is scheduled and verified
• Check relevant monitoring, detection, and logs for exposed assets that need extra review
• Track exceptions, retest remediated assets, and close the item only after evidence is documented

Evidence notes

The CVE record was published on 2026-07-16T18:16:43.517Z and has not been modified since then. The NVD entry is currently 10.0 CRITICAL. Evidence is limited to public sources and may not reflect the full scope or impact of this vulnerability. Defenders should verify affected deployments and review vendor guidance for mitigation.

Official resources