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Joomla\!Application · Joomla

CVE-2026-48902

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-26
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.4.6 / 6.1.1 or later.
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
The password and username reset features created plain http links for https connections if the "Force SSL" flag wasn't explicitly set.

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 · moderate confidence

The password and username reset features generate insecure HTTP links in reset emails even when the connection uses HTTPS, because the 'Force SSL' flag isn't explicitly enabled. This exposes reset tokens to interception via man-in-the-middle attacks, allowing attackers to hijack accounts by capturing the plaintext reset links.

MitigationEnsure the 'Force SSL' flag is explicitly enabled in the application configuration, or modify the reset link generation logic to always use HTTPS when the request was made over a secure connection.

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

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Joomla\!Application
Affected:>= 3.0.0, < 5.4.6>= 6.0.0, < 6.1.1

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. Verify Joomla version
    Locate the VERSION.php file in the Joomla installation (typically at /libraries/src/Version.php or /libraries/cms/version.php) and read the VERSION and PRODUCT constants. Alternatively, check the administrator manifest cache in the #__extensions database table if access to database is available.
    Affected if The installed version falls within 3.0.0 to 5.4.5, or 6.0.0 to 6.1.0.
  2. Check Force SSL configuration setting
    Review the Joomla configuration.php file in the site root. Look for the variable $force_ssl and note its value (0 = Force SSL disabled, 1 = Administrator only, 2 = Entire site).
    Affected if $force_ssl is set to 0 or is not explicitly set to 2 (entire site).
  3. Inspect live_site configuration
    In the same configuration.php file, check the $live_site variable. Verify whether it is set with an http:// scheme rather than https://, or if it is empty/unset.
    Affected if $live_site is empty, unset, or uses an http:// scheme.
  4. Examine com_users component configuration
    If database access is available, query the #__extensions table for the com_users component (type=component, element=com_users) and inspect the params column. Look for any reset-related URL parameters.
    Affected if Reset URL parameters explicitly use http:// instead of https://, or no secure URL override is configured.
  5. Test actual password reset URL generation
    Navigate to the Joomla password reset page (typically /index.php?option=com_users&view=reset) and request a reset. Examine the full URL contained in the reset email received. Check if the link begins with http:// rather than https://.
    Affected if The reset link in the email message uses the http:// scheme.

The environment is affected if the Joomla version is within the vulnerable ranges AND Force SSL is not explicitly set to enforce HTTPS for the entire site, resulting in password reset tokens transmitted over unencrypted connections.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 5.4.6 / 6.1.1 or later
Fixed in 5.4.66.1.1
Interim mitigation

Ensure the 'Force SSL' flag is explicitly enabled in the application configuration, or modify the reset link generation logic to always use HTTPS when the request was made over a secure connection.

Recommended fix High confidence

Joomla 5.4.6 or Joomla 6.1.1

  1. 1. Backup your Joomla! database and files before proceeding.
  2. 2. Download Joomla! 5.4.6 (for Joomla 5.x sites) or Joomla! 6.1.1 (for Joomla 6.x sites) from the official Joomla! downloads page.
  3. 3. Install the update through Joomla!'s built-in update component, or replace core files manually following Joomla!'s upgrade documentation.
  4. 4. After updating, verify the password reset functionality works correctly.
  5. 5. As a supplementary hardening measure, navigate to System > Global Configuration > Server and ensure 'Force SSL' is set to 'Entire Site' to enforce HTTPS throughout the application.
Caveat Standard minor version upgrades in Joomla typically have minimal breaking changes; always test in a staging environment first

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Joomla\! Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,980
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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-2026-48902 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