Identity Management / No Confirmation Mail after Resetting Password

Description

No confirmation mail after resetting password is a vulnerability in identity management systems that occurs when a user requests a password reset but does not receive a confirmation mail. This vulnerability was first identified in the CWE directory as CWE-804. It is also identified in the OWASP Testing Guide as an identity management weakness. This vulnerability can occur in web and API applications, as well as in infrastructure components, such as authentication servers.

Risk

This vulnerability can lead to the successful bypass of authentication mechanisms, and can allow attackers to take control of user accounts. It can also lead to data and system integrity issues, as well as data loss. Depending on the system, this vulnerability can be rated as having a high or critical risk.

Solution

The best way to mitigate this vulnerability is to ensure that all password reset requests require a confirmation mail. In this way, even if an attacker can guess a user's password, they will still need access to the user's email account to successfully reset the password. Additionally, it is important to ensure that the password reset process is secure, and that the confirmation mail is sent from a secure, encrypted channel.