CVE-2026-50176 in CSMS
Summary
by MITRE • 06/26/2026
The WebSocket Application Programming Interface lacks restrictions on the number of authentication requests. This absence of rate limiting may allow an attacker to conduct denial-of-service attacks or brute-force attacks to gain unauthorized access.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/26/2026
WebSocket applications programming interface represents a critical communication channel that enables real-time bidirectional data exchange between clients and servers. The absence of authentication request rate limiting within this interface creates a significant security vulnerability that directly impacts system availability and access control mechanisms. When WebSocket connections lack proper rate limiting controls, malicious actors can exploit this weakness to flood the authentication endpoint with excessive requests, potentially exhausting server resources or circumventing legitimate access controls through automated brute-force attempts.
This vulnerability falls under the category of insufficient rate limiting as classified by CWE-307, which specifically addresses improper restriction of repeated access attempts that can lead to system compromise. The lack of authentication request throttling in WebSocket interfaces creates an environment where attackers can systematically test credentials or exploit connection establishment processes without encountering meaningful barriers. From an operational perspective, this weakness enables both denial-of-service attacks that prevent legitimate users from accessing services and credential stuffing operations that can bypass authentication mechanisms entirely. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because WebSocket connections are often persistent and can remain active for extended periods, providing attackers with prolonged opportunities to conduct unauthorized access attempts.
The impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple authentication bypasses to encompass broader system availability concerns and potential data compromise scenarios. Attackers leveraging rate limiting deficiencies in WebSocket interfaces can consume excessive server resources through connection flooding or credential testing operations, leading to service degradation or complete unavailability for legitimate users. The absence of proper monitoring and enforcement mechanisms creates a pathway for attackers to perform reconnaissance activities by analyzing response patterns to authentication attempts, further aiding their exploitation efforts. This weakness directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1110 which covers credential access methods including password spraying and brute force attacks that can effectively target WebSocket authentication endpoints.
Organizations should implement comprehensive rate limiting controls at the WebSocket application layer, establishing maximum request thresholds per time period for authentication operations. These controls must include adaptive rate limiting that can detect abnormal request patterns and automatically trigger protective measures such as connection throttling or temporary account lockouts. Security configurations should enforce minimum intervals between authentication attempts and maintain detailed logging of suspicious activities to enable threat detection and incident response capabilities. Additionally, implementing multi-factor authentication mechanisms alongside robust rate limiting provides defense-in-depth protection against both automated attacks and potential exploitation of the underlying vulnerability. The solution approach must consider industry standards such as NIST SP 800-53 and ISO 27001 requirements for access control and resource management to ensure compliance with established security frameworks while maintaining operational efficiency.