CVE-2026-39976: Laravel Passport: TokenGuard Authenticates Unrelated User for Client Credentials Tokens
Impact Authentication Bypass for clientcredentials tokens. the league/oauth2-server library sets the JWT sub claim to the client identifier (since there's no user). The token guard then passes this value to retrieveById() without validating it's actually a user identifier, potentially resolving an unrelated real user. Any machine-to-machine token can inadvertently authenticate as an actual user.
Usage of EnsureClientIsResourceOwner middleware together with Passport::$clientUuids set to false, can result in resolving the user instead, as stated in the documentation.
The underlying OAuth2 server sets the token's sub claim to the client's identifier for client credentials tokens. By default, Passport uses UUIDs for clients, so this cannot collide with a user's integer primary key. However, if you have set Passport::$clientUuids to false, a client credentials token may inadvertently resolve a user whose ID matches the client's ID. In such cases, using this middleware cannot guarantee that the incoming token is a client credentials token.
Patches Patched in v13.7.1
Workarounds Is there a way for users to fix or remediate the vulnerability without upgrading? Disallow usage of clientcredentials.
References - https://github.com/laravel/passport/issues/1900 - https://github.com/laravel/passport/pull/1901 - https://github.com/laravel/passport/pull/1902 - https://github.com/thephpleague/oauth2-server/issues/1456#issuecomment-2734989996
Other sources
Laravel Passport provides OAuth2 server support to Laravel. From 13.0.0 to before 13.7.1, there is an Authentication Bypass for clientcredentials tokens. the league/oauth2-server library sets the JWT sub claim to the client identifier (since there's no user). The token guard then passes this value to retrieveById() without validating it's actually a user identifier, potentially resolving an unrelated real user. Any machine-to-machine token can inadvertently authenticate as an actual user. This vulnerability is fixed in 13.7.1.
— MITRE
Laravel Passport: TokenGuard Authenticates Unrelated User for Client Credentials Tokens
— Packagist
Affected Software
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
- Upgrade
Upgrade
composer/laravel/passportto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 13.7.1 - Upgrade
Upgrade
laravel/passportto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 13.7.1 - Configuration
Disallow usage of client_credentials tokens.
Laravel Passport client_credentials usage = disabled
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2026-39976?
CVE-2026-39976 is classified as a critical vulnerability due to its potential for authentication bypass allowing unauthorized access.
How do I fix CVE-2026-39976?
To mitigate CVE-2026-39976, upgrade Laravel Passport to version 13.7.1 or later immediately.
What are the affected versions in CVE-2026-39976?
CVE-2026-39976 affects Laravel Passport versions from 13.0.0 to before 13.7.1.
What type of vulnerability is CVE-2026-39976?
CVE-2026-39976 is an authentication bypass vulnerability related to client credentials tokens.
Who is affected by CVE-2026-39976?
Users of Laravel Passport who are utilizing versions 13.0.0 to less than 13.7.1 are affected by CVE-2026-39976.