As a catastrophic security flaw, CVE-2026-23837 has severe implications, demanding immediate intervention.
Status: Received on 19 Jan 2026, 21:15 UTC
Published on: 19 Jan 2026, 21:15 UTC
CVSS Release: version 3
security-advisories@github.com
Secondary
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVE-2026-23837: MyTube is a self-hosted downloader and player for several video websites. A vulnerability present in version 1.7.65 and poetntially earlier versions allows unauthenticated users to bypass the mandatory authentication check in the roleBasedAuthMiddleware. By simply not providing an authentication cookie (making req.user undefined), a request is incorrectly passed through to downstream handlers. All users running MyTube with loginEnabled: true are impacted. This flaw allows an attacker to access and modify application settings via /api/settings, change administrative and visitor passwords, and access other protected routes that rely on this specific middleware. The problem is patched in v1.7.66. MyTube maintainers recommend all users upgrade to at least version v1.7.64 immediately to secure their instances. The fix ensures that the middleware explicitly blocks requests if a user is not authenticated, rather than defaulting to next(). Those who cannot upgrade immediately can mitigate risk by restricting network access by usi a firewall or reverse proxy (like Nginx) to restrict access to the /api/ endpoints to trusted IP addresses only or, if they are comfortable editing the source code, manually patch by locating roleBasedAuthMiddleware and ensuring that the logic defaults to an error (401 Unauthorized) when req.user is undefined, instead of calling next().
The exploitability of CVE-2026-23837 depends on two key factors: attack complexity (the level of effort required to execute an exploit) and privileges required (the access level an attacker needs).
With low attack complexity and no required privileges, CVE-2026-23837 is an easy target for cybercriminals. Organizations should prioritize immediate mitigation measures to prevent unauthorized access and data breaches.
A lower complexity and fewer privilege requirements make exploitation easier. Security teams should evaluate these aspects to determine the urgency of mitigation strategies, such as patch management and access control policies.
Attack Complexity (AC) measures the difficulty in executing an exploit. A high AC means that specific conditions must be met, making an attack more challenging, while a low AC means the vulnerability can be exploited with minimal effort.
Privileges Required (PR) determine the level of system access necessary for an attack. Vulnerabilities requiring no privileges are more accessible to attackers, whereas high privilege requirements limit exploitation to authorized users with elevated access.
Above is the CVSS Sub-score Breakdown for CVE-2026-23837, illustrating how Base, Impact, and Exploitability factors combine to form the overall severity rating. A higher sub-score typically indicates a more severe or easier-to-exploit vulnerability.
Below is the Impact Analysis for CVE-2026-23837, showing how Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability might be affected if the vulnerability is exploited. Higher values usually signal greater potential damage.
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