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CVE-2026-73309: Xenforo Security Vulnerability (CVSS 9.1)

CVE-2026-73309 is a critical severity security vulnerability in Xenforo with a CVSS score of 9.1. Apply the vendor fix and confirm exposure on internet facing and business critical assets first.

Last updated: Sep 11, 2026

Quick answer

Direct answer

CVE-2026-73309 is a critical severity security vulnerability in Xenforo with a CVSS score of 9.1. Apply the vendor fix and confirm exposure on internet facing and business critical assets first.

Risk scores

CVSS base score
9.1CRITICAL
EPSS probability
0.69%
Higher than 51 percent of all CVEs
CISA KEV
Not listed
CVSS metricWhat it means
Attack vector (AV:N)Network: reachable remotely
Attack complexity (AC:H)High complexity
Attack requirements (AT:N)No attack requirements
Privileges required (PR:N)No privileges required
User interaction (UI:N)No user interaction
Confidentiality (VC:H)High confidentiality impact
Integrity (VI:H)High integrity impact
Availability (VA:N)No availability impact

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

About Xenforo

CVE-2026-73309 affects Xenforo, a product from Xenforo. Before acting, confirm where Xenforo runs in your estate, who owns it and whether it is reachable from the internet, because exposure decides real risk more than the score alone.

What the flaw is

In plain terms: XenForo before 2.3.13 contains an authentication bypass vulnerability in the OAuth2 token endpoint that allows unauthenticated attackers to obtain valid token pairs by submitting empty values for client_secret and code_verifier parameters. Attackers can exploit PHP truthy evaluation logic, which treats empty strings as false and skips client secret validation and PKCE code verifier validation, to exchange a valid authorization code for a token pair without proving client identity or holding the PKCE commitment.

Based on its CVSS vector, the flaw can be reached over the network, needs no login, and needs no user interaction. Apply the vendor fix and confirm exposure on internet facing and business critical assets first.

Affected versions and timeline

FieldDetail
ProductXenforo
Affected versionsXenforo before 2.3.13
PublishedSep 8, 2026
Last modifiedSep 11, 2026
Added to CISA KEVNot listed
Assigning CNAdisclosure@vulncheck.com

How to detect it

  • Inventory every instance of Xenforo and record the running version against the affected range above.
  • Check external attack surface scans for internet facing instances of the component.
  • Review logs on affected systems for unusual requests, errors or new processes around the vulnerable function.
  • Confirm with an authenticated vulnerability scan once your scanner has a check for this CVE.

How to fix it

  • Apply the fixed version of Xenforo named in the vendor advisory.
  • If patching must wait, restrict network access to the affected service and put it behind authentication or a web application firewall rule.
  • Rescan after the change to prove the exposure is gone, then close the ticket.

CTEM action plan

CTEM stageWhat to do for this CVE
ScopeAdd every business service that depends on Xenforo to the current CTEM cycle.
DiscoverFind all instances, including shadow and cloud deployments, and record versions and exposure.
PrioritizeRank using EPSS and CVSS together with asset exposure and business impact.
ValidateConfirm the flaw is reachable and exploitable in your environment and that compensating controls work.
MobilizeAssign the fix to the asset owner with a due date matched to the priority, then verify closure.

CWE References

Technical References

Frequently asked questions

CVE-2026-73309 is a critical severity security vulnerability in Xenforo with a CVSS score of 9.1. Apply the vendor fix and confirm exposure on internet facing and business critical assets first.

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