# CVE-2021-32648: october - Authentication Bypass

> Live exploitation tracking for CVE-2021-32648 by the CrowdSec Live Exploit Tracker, built from real-world attack data crowdsourced from CrowdSec's global network.

Page: https://tracker.crowdsec.net/cves/CVE-2021-32648

## Key facts

- **Exploitation phase:** Background Noise. Continuous low-level scanning or exploitation attempts are observed, mostly opportunistic and automated.
- **CVSS score:** 8.2
- **Public exploit available:** Yes
- **Affected products:** octobercms october
- **Weaknesses:** CWE-287 (Improper Authentication)
- **Tags:** cms, php

## Description

octobercms in a CMS platform based on the Laravel PHP Framework. In affected versions of the october/system package an attacker can request an account password reset and then gain access to the account using a specially crafted request. The issue has been patched in Build 472 and v1.1.5.

## CrowdSec analysis

[CVE-2021-32648](https://euvd.enisa.europa.eu/vulnerability/CVE-2021-32648) is an authentication bypass vulnerability in octobercms, where attackers can exploit the password reset functionality to gain unauthorized access to user accounts through specially crafted requests. This flaw could allow remote attackers to compromise accounts without prior authentication, posing a significant risk to the security of affected CMS installations.

CrowdSec has been tracking this vulnerability and its exploits since 8th of April 2026.

According to CrowdSec data, while opportunistic exploitation dominates, a portion of threat actors trying to exploit CVE-2021-32648 apply basic targeting methods such as port or service detection. This indicates emerging patterns of selective targeting.
In addition, according to the CrowdSec network, attack volume against CVE-2021-32648 has dipped slightly compared to the previous week. Although still commonly targeted, the decline suggests a cooling-off period. Long-term relevance remains, but attention is waning.

Attackers exploit the password reset functionality by targeting endpoints such as `/backend/backend/auth/restore` and `/backend/backend/auth/reset/1/`, allowing them to reset credentials and gain unauthorized access to user or administrator accounts.

## Timeline

- 2021-08-26: CVE Published. CVE-2021-32648 is published to NVD.
- 2022-01-18: CISA KEV. CVE-2021-32648 is added to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog by CISA.
- 2022-02-01: CISA Remediation Deadline. Expiration of the CISA remediation deadline as described in [BOD 22-01](https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/directives/bod-22-01-reducing-significant-risk-known-exploited-vulnerabilities).
- 2026-04-08: Rule Released. CrowdSec releases a rule to detect CVE-2021-32648 exploitation attempts against the CrowdSec Network.
- 2026-04-08: CrowdSec First Seen. CrowdSec observes in-the-wild exploitation of CVE-2021-32648 for the first time.

## References

- https://github.com/octobercms/library/commit/5bd1a28140b825baebe6becd4f7562299d3de3b9
- https://github.com/octobercms/october/security/advisories/GHSA-mxr5-mc97-63rc
- https://github.com/octobercms/library/commit/016a297b1bec55d2e53bc889458ed2cb5c3e9374
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2021-32648
- https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/blob/main/http/cves/2021/CVE-2021-32648.yaml

## Live exploitation data

The [Live Exploit Tracker page](https://tracker.crowdsec.net/cves/CVE-2021-32648) follows observed exploitation activity for CVE-2021-32648. [Request an API key](https://tracker.crowdsec.net/request-api-key) for full access to its exploitation timeline, attacking IP addresses and blocklists.