Exploited. On CISA's list since 2026-01-26, and used by ransomware.
SmarterTools SmarterMail Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel Vulnerability
CVE-2026-23760 · SmarterTools SmarterMail · Published 2026-01-22
How bad would it be?
9.3 out of 10
CVSS rates it critical: about as damaging as flaws get.
How likely is it to be used?
96%
Estimated chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, among the top 1% of all scored flaws (EPSS, 2026-10-29).
Is it already being used?
Yes
CISA has seen it exploited in real attacks. For US government agencies the fix is deadline passed 256 days ago (2026-02-16).
What CISA says to do
Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
SmarterTools SmarterMail contains an authentication bypass using an alternate path or channel vulnerability in the password reset API. The force-reset-password endpoint permits anonymous requests and fails to verify the existing password or a reset token when resetting system administrator accounts. This could allow an unauthenticated attacker to supply a target administrator username and a new password to reset the account, resulting in full administrative compromise of the SmarterMail instance.
What the flaw is
SmarterTools SmarterMail versions prior to build 9511 contain an authentication bypass vulnerability in the password reset API. The force-reset-password endpoint permits anonymous requests and fails to verify the existing password or a reset token when resetting system administrator accounts. An unauthenticated attacker can supply a target administrator username and a new password to reset the account, resulting in full administrative compromise of the SmarterMail instance. NOTE: SmarterMail system administrator privileges grant the ability to execute operating system commands via built-in management functionality, effectively providing administrative (SYSTEM or root) access on the underlying host.
From the NVD.
Learn this
Explore this week’s weaknesses and all learning topics
Understand the kind of weakness behind this flaw. These resources teach the weakness, rather than reproduce this specific CVE. Follow the vendor's advice above to fix the affected product.
CWE-288 · CISA KEV; NVD record: disclosure@vulncheck.com. We have not selected a close learning match for this label.
CWE is a catalogue of weakness types. Labels come from the sources shown and can differ or change. Resource matches reviewed 16 October 2026.
On SentryFeed
No story in the last 14 days has mentioned it.
Exploited flaws from CISA's KEV catalogue. Chance of exploitation from EPSS by FIRST. Descriptions and scores from the NVD. This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.