better-auth before 1.6.22 Account Takeover via Magic-Link Email-OTP
At a glance
Severity
HIGH 8.7
EPSS
EPSS 0.43 % · percentile 37 (2026-10-27)
State
PUBLISHED
Published
Updated
Assigner
VulnCheck
NVD status
Deferred
Description
better-auth versions >= 1.1.3 and < 1.6.22 (and pre-release versions >= 1.7.0-beta.0 and < 1.7.0-beta.10) are vulnerable to account takeover via pre-account hijacking on magic-link and email-OTP sign-in when open email/password registration is enabled. An attacker registers an account with the victim's email address and an attacker-chosen password; the account remains unverified. When the legitimate owner later signs in via the magic-link or email-OTP passwordless flow, the account is marked verified without removing the pre-existing password or revoking existing sessions, so the attacker's password remains valid, granting persistent access to the victim's account. Fixed in 1.6.22 and 1.7.0-beta.10.
