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Resource Allocation Without LimitsWeakness · CWE-770

CVE-2026-31283

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-04-13
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
In Totara LMS v19.1.5 and before, the forgot password API does not implement rate limiting for the target email address. which can be used for an Email Bombing attack. NOTE: the Supplier's position is that the pwresettime configuration defaults to 30 minutes, the pwresettime configuration is a hard control enforced via flag PWRESET_STATUS_ALREADYSENT, and no further password-reset email messages are sent if this flag is active for a specific email address.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The forgot password API in Totara LMS v19.1.5 and prior versions lacks rate limiting on the email address parameter, enabling attackers to repeatedly submit password reset requests for a target email address and trigger a flood of password reset emails (email bombing/DoS). The vendor claims a pwresettime control exists but the CVE indicates it is not being properly enforced.

MitigationImplement or properly enforce rate limiting on the password reset API to restrict the number of requests per email address within a given timeframe, potentially leveraging or fixing the existing pwresettime/PWRESET_STATUS_ALREADYSENT mechanism.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify Totara LMS installed version
    Locate the version file or check the admin interface for the installed Totara version (usually in /version.php or via admin dashboard > Server > Environment)
    Affected if Installed version is v19.1.5 or any prior version (v19.x, v18.x, etc.)
  2. Verify password reset rate limiting configuration
    Inspect Totara's configuration settings for password reset behavior. Look for rate limiting options in the authentication settings or core password reset settings (typically in config.php or via Site Admin > Users > Authentication > Password reset settings)
    Affected if Rate limiting on the password reset request is disabled, not configured, or set to allow unlimited requests
  3. Inspect pwresettime mechanism enforcement
    Check if the pwresettime or PWRESET_STATUS_ALREADYSENT mechanism is properly configured and enabled in the Totara code/config. Examine the password reset implementation in the source (look for forgot_password.php or similar) to see if this control is actually being enforced
    Affected if The pwresettime/PWRESET_STATUS_ALREADYSENT control exists in code but is not being actively enforced or enforced only after first request without proper time-based blocking
  4. Test the password reset API behavior
    Submit multiple password reset requests for a test email address using the forgot password API endpoint and observe if requests are throttled or blocked after repeated attempts within a short timeframe
    Affected if Multiple password reset requests for the same email address are processed without any rate limiting or blocking (emails continue to send)

You are affected if running Totara LMS v19.1.5 or prior AND password reset rate limiting is not properly enforced or the pwresettime control is disabled/misconfigured.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Implement or properly enforce rate limiting on the password reset API to restrict the number of requests per email address within a given timeframe, potentially leveraging or fixing the existing pwresettime/PWRESET_STATUS_ALREADYSENT mechanism.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,800
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-31283 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data