CVE-2026-58593: NodeBB - ActivityPub Author Spoofing via Unvalidated attributedTo Mapped to Local User

Published Jul 1, 2026
·
Updated

NodeBB does not bind the claimed author of an inbound ActivityPub object to the authenticated remote actor. The inbound middleware verifies the HTTP-signature actor and checks the origin of object.id, but never validates that attributedTo corresponds to the sender. In the object mock, attributedTo is used directly as a uid, and actors.assert silently ignores numeric identifiers (filtering them out without re-deriving the uid), so a federated remote actor can set attributedTo to a bare numeric value such as 1 and have the resulting post or private message created with that local uid as author, including the administrator account. This lets a remote attacker forge posts and direct messages attributed to arbitrary local users. Requires the ActivityPub/federation feature to be enabled.

Affected Software

2 affected components
NodeBB
nodebb Nodebb<=4.13.2

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

  1. Configuration

    Update the inbound middleware to validate that the claimed attributedTo author corresponds to the sender (the verified HTTP-signature actor / authenticated remote actor), rather than mapping attributedTo directly to a local uid without re-deriving it from the remote actor.

    NodeBB ActivityPub inbound middleware validated_attributedTo_author_binding = true
  2. Compensating control

    Disable the NodeBB ActivityPub/federation feature to prevent inbound ActivityPub objects from being processed with unvalidated attributedTo (requires the ActivityPub/federation feature to be enabled for the issue to apply).

Event History

Jul 1, 2026
CVE Published
via MITRE·07:27 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·07:27 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness
Data Sourced
via NVD·08:17 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software
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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2026-58593?

The severity of CVE-2026-58593 is high with a score of 8.7.

2

What is CVE-2026-58593 about?

CVE-2026-58593 involves NodeBB allowing activity author spoofing through unvalidated attributedTo fields in ActivityPub objects.

3

How do I fix CVE-2026-58593?

To fix CVE-2026-58593, ensure that NodeBB implements validation for the attributedTo field to verify it corresponds with the authenticated remote actor.

4

What systems are affected by CVE-2026-58593?

CVE-2026-58593 affects installations of NodeBB utilizing ActivityPub for user interaction.

5

What are the potential impacts of CVE-2026-58593?

The potential impacts of CVE-2026-58593 include the risk of impersonation and misinformation provided by unauthenticated users.

Contact

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