CVE-2026-105127 in LaraDashboard
Summary
by MITRE • 10/04/2026
LaraDashboard 1.4.2 before 1.4.8 applies advanced email validation to unauthenticated forgot-password and reset-password requests, triggering DNS lookups and paid AbstractAPI verification calls. Unauthenticated attackers can submit arbitrary addresses to exhaust the verification quota, making validation fail open for all public forms, and probe domain resolution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/04/2026
The vulnerability in LaraDashboard versions prior to 1.4.8 represents a significant security flaw rooted in improper input handling and resource management within its authentication recovery mechanisms. Specifically, the application implements advanced email validation logic on unauthenticated endpoints for forgot-password and reset-password requests. This design choice introduces two distinct attack vectors: one targeting financial resources through API abuse, and another targeting network infrastructure integrity via DNS probing. The core issue lies in the fact that these validation steps are executed before any form of authentication or rate limiting is applied to the request stream, allowing unauthenticated actors to interact with these functions freely.
From a technical perspective, when an attacker submits an arbitrary email address through the forgot-password interface, the system does not simply check for syntactic correctness but proceeds to perform external verification calls. These calls utilize third-party services such as AbstractAPI to validate whether the provided email domain exists and is active. This process inherently triggers Domain Name System lookups against the specified domains. Furthermore, each successful validation attempt consumes a quota unit from the provider's API service. Because there are no restrictions on the number of requests an unauthenticated user can send within a given timeframe, this functionality becomes susceptible to abuse for resource exhaustion attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is twofold and severe. First, attackers can systematically exhaust the verification quota associated with the LaraDashboard instance's API key. By flooding the system with numerous arbitrary email addresses, an attacker can deplete the available validation calls provided by AbstractAPI or similar services. Once the quota is exhausted, the application fails open for all public forms that rely on this validation service. This failure mode effectively disables critical security controls across the entire platform, potentially allowing unauthorized access to other features or bypassing protections intended to prevent spam and abuse. Second, the DNS lookups triggered by these requests allow attackers to probe domain resolution capabilities of the server hosting LaraDashboard. While less immediately destructive than resource exhaustion, this capability can be used for reconnaissance purposes, helping attackers map out network infrastructure or identify live domains associated with the organization's digital footprint.
This vulnerability aligns closely with CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling, as it permits an unauthenticated user to consume unlimited computational and financial resources from a third-party service. Additionally, it relates to CWE-284: Improper Access Control, since the sensitive validation logic is exposed without adequate authentication barriers. In terms of offensive security frameworks, this behavior corresponds to ATT&CK technique T1595.001: Active Scanning: Scraping, where attackers gather information about active domains and services through automated probing. The exploitation also touches upon CWE-754: Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions, as the system does not adequately handle the failure state when external API quotas are depleted, leading to a permissive security posture.
Mitigation strategies must address both the resource exhaustion aspect and the lack of access control on sensitive endpoints. The most immediate fix is to upgrade LaraDashboard to version 1.4.8 or later, where these issues have been resolved by implementing proper rate limiting and restricting advanced validation logic to authenticated contexts only. For organizations unable to patch immediately, applying a Web Application Firewall rule to limit the frequency of requests to the forgot-password and reset-password endpoints can help mitigate resource exhaustion attacks. Additionally, configuring DNS query logging and monitoring for unusual outbound resolution patterns associated with these specific application paths can aid in early detection of probing activities. It is also advisable to review API quota settings with providers like AbstractAPI to ensure alerts are triggered before critical thresholds are reached, providing an additional layer of defense against automated abuse campaigns.