CVE-2026-56016
Public on 2026-07-01
Modified on 2026-07-02
Description
CGI::Session::ID::md5 versions before 4.49 for Perl generate predictable session ids from low-entropy sources.
The generate_id method builds the session id from a MD5 digest of the process id, the epoch time, and the built-in rand() function. All three are predictable, low-entropy sources: the PID is drawn from a small range, the epoch time can be guessed or read from the HTTP Date header, and Perl's rand() is unsuitable for security purposes because it is predictable and reversible.
An attacker who predicts a session id can impersonate the corresponding session and bypass authentication.
The generate_id method builds the session id from a MD5 digest of the process id, the epoch time, and the built-in rand() function. All three are predictable, low-entropy sources: the PID is drawn from a small range, the epoch time can be guessed or read from the HTTP Date header, and Perl's rand() is unsuitable for security purposes because it is predictable and reversible.
An attacker who predicts a session id can impersonate the corresponding session and bypass authentication.
Severity
See what this means
CVSS v3 Base Score
See breakdown
Affected Packages
| Platform | Package | Release Date | Advisory | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Linux 2 - Core | perl | Not Affected | ||
| Amazon Linux 2023 | perl | Not Affected | ||
| Amazon Linux 2 - Core | perl-CGI-Session | Pending Fix |
CVSS Scores
| Score Type | Score | Vector | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Linux | CVSSv3 | 7.4 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N |