{"id":"CVE-2026-74846","kind":"vulnerability","aliases":["CVE-2026-74846"],"related":[],"title":"Catalyst Perl authentication plugin: password checks leak timing, enabling guesses","description":"Catalyst::Plugin::Authentication versions before 0.10029 for Perl allow timing attacks on stored passwords via eq comparisons in the legacy password verifier.\n\nCVE-2026-5091 was fixed in the realm-based verifier. The legacy verifier, used by the deprecated login method, compares clear-text passwords, crypt hashes and base64 digests with eq, so the comparison time depends on how many leading bytes match.\n\nA remote attacker can use response-time differences to guess the stored password or hash.","summary":"The legacy password verifier in Catalyst::Plugin::Authentication compares passwords and hashes with eq, so response time reveals how many leading bytes match. A remote attacker can use those timing differences to guess a stored password or hash.","severity":"unknown","cvss":null,"epss":null,"exploited":false,"exploited_at":null,"products":[],"ecosystems":[],"tags":["catalyst","package","perl","web-apps"],"not_affected_if":["no-legacy-login","realm-based-verifier"],"how_to_check":"- Check the installed version of Catalyst::Plugin::Authentication, for example with `perl -MCatalyst::Plugin::Authentication -e 'print $Catalyst::Plugin::Authentication::VERSION'`\n- Look for calls to the deprecated `login` method in the application","fix":"- Catalyst::Plugin::Authentication: move to `0.10029` or later","status":"open","published_at":"2026-11-03T08:17:15+00:00","first_seen_at":"2026-11-03T08:19:30+00:00","triaged_at":"2026-11-03T08:19:41+00:00","updated_at":"2026-11-03T08:19:41+00:00","category":"package","confidence":0.6,"triage":{"at":"2026-11-03T08:19:41Z","model":"claude-haiku-5-5","output":{"fix":"- Catalyst::Plugin::Authentication: move to `0.10029` or later","reach":"internet","title":"Catalyst Perl authentication plugin: password checks leak timing, enabling guesses","impact":"medium","summary":"The legacy password verifier in Catalyst::Plugin::Authentication compares passwords and hashes with eq, so response time reveals how many leading bytes match. A remote attacker can use those timing differences to guess a stored password or hash.","audience":"developers","category":"package","nicknames":[],"who_cares":["perl","catalyst","web-apps"],"confidence":0.6,"fix_status":"available","needs_auth":"no","worst_case":"attacker recovers stored password or hash via timing","analyst_note":"","how_to_check":"- Check the installed version of Catalyst::Plugin::Authentication, for example with `perl -MCatalyst::Plugin::Authentication -e 'print $Catalyst::Plugin::Authentication::VERSION'`\n- Look for calls to the deprecated `login` method in the application","plain_action":"","needs_analyst":false,"not_affected_if":["realm-based-verifier","no-legacy-login"],"who_is_affected":"Applications that use Catalyst::Plugin::Authentication and still call the deprecated legacy login method are exposed, because that path uses the eq-based comparison. Apps that use the realm-based verifier fixed in CVE-2026-5091 are not described as affected by this flaw. unknown whether other configurations are affected.","user_interaction":"no","needs_special_setup":"yes","severity_if_unknown":"unknown"},"cost_usd":0.000699,"input_tokens":4205,"output_tokens":557,"severity_before":"unknown"},"analyst_status":null,"analyst_note":null,"search":"'-2026':12A,15A,84C '-5091':85C '-74846':13A,16A '0.10029':66C 'allow':69C 'app':22B 'attack':48B,71C,128C 'authent':3A,30B,63C 'base':92C 'base64':111C 'byte':44B,124C 'catalyst':1A,17B,28B,61C 'check':6A 'clear':105C 'clear-text':104C 'compar':31B,103C 'comparison':77C,117C 'crypt':108C 'cve':11A,14A,83C 'depend':119C 'deprec':100C 'differ':53B,134C 'digest':112C 'enabl':9A 'eq':36B,76C,114C 'fix':87C 'guess':10A,55B,136C 'hash':34B,60B,109C,141C 'lead':43B,123C 'leak':7A 'legaci':24B,80C,95C 'login':101C 'mani':42B,122C 'match':45B,125C 'method':102C 'packag':18B 'password':5A,25B,32B,58B,74C,81C,107C,139C 'perl':2A,19B,68C 'plugin':4A,29B,62C 'realm':91C 'realm-bas':90C 'remot':47B,127C 'respons':38B,132C 'response-tim':131C 'reveal':40B 'store':57B,73C,138C 'text':106C 'time':8A,39B,52B,70C,118C,133C 'use':50B,97C,130C 'verifi':26B,82C,93C,96C 'version':64C 'via':75C 'web':21B 'web-app':20B","nicknames":[],"mitigations":[],"who_affected":"Applications that use Catalyst::Plugin::Authentication and still call the deprecated legacy login method are exposed, because that path uses the eq-based comparison. Apps that use the realm-based verifier fixed in CVE-2026-5091 are not described as affected by this flaw. unknown whether other configurations are affected.","tier":"C","verified":{},"analyst_revisit_at":null,"fix_status":"available","audience":"developers","plain_action":null,"pkeys":[],"ptokens":[],"labels":["catalyst","package","perl","unknown","webapps"],"first_public_at":"2026-11-03T08:17:15+00:00","kev":null,"cvss_vector":null,"cvss_by":null,"poc_count":0,"sources":[{"source":"nvd","external_id":"CVE-2026-74846","url":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-74846","severity":null,"published_at":"2026-11-03T08:17:15+00:00","modified_at":"2026-11-03T08:17:15+00:00","first_seen_at":"2026-11-03T08:19:30+00:00","fetched_at":"2026-11-03T08:19:30+00:00","note":null}],"documents":[{"id":56475,"url":"https://github.com/perl-catalyst/Catalyst-Plugin-Authentication/commit/ba4435f1fa6b641e6c8793c88b5433afa83ceafa.patch","title":"Patch: github.com","kind":"other","source":"nvd","publisher":"vendor","text":null,"published_at":null,"relation":"fix","confidence":null,"note":"Patch: github.com"}],"notice":"Free to read at a human pace. An API with keys and an MCP server are in preparation; early access: hello@infrastack.ai"}