CVE-2026-53516
Better Auth: Account takeover via OAuth auto-link to unverified pre-registered email
Description
Better Auth is an authentication and authorization library for TypeScript. Prior to 1.6.11, Better Auth's OAuth callback auto-link gate in handleOAuthUserInfo accepts implicit account linking when the OAuth provider asserts email_verified: true without requiring the local user row's emailVerified field to also be true, allowing an attacker who pre-registers a victim email through /sign-up/email to bind the victim's OAuth identity to the attacker's account. The same primitive affects one-tap, and emailAndPassword.requireEmailVerification: true does not mitigate the link-time verification change. This issue is fixed in version 1.6.11.
INFO
Published Date :
July 15, 2026, 6:16 p.m.
Last Modified :
July 21, 2026, 2:14 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
Yes !
Source :
[email protected]
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS | 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 | |||||
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | [email protected] | ||||
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | MITRE-CVE |
Solution
- Update Better Auth to version 1.6.11 or later.
- Verify OAuth callback and linking logic.
- Ensure email verification is consistently enforced.
Public PoC/Exploit Available at Github
CVE-2026-53516 has a 1 public
PoC/Exploit available at Github.
Go to the Public Exploits tab to see the list.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2026-53516.
| URL | Resource |
|---|---|
| https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/commit/da7e50beee849c59a2ed1ec6b3a38cc6ab9fb563 | Patch |
| https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/pull/9578 | Issue Tracking Patch |
| https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/releases/tag/v1.6.11 | Release Notes |
| https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/security/advisories/GHSA-g38m-r43w-p2q7 | Mitigation Vendor Advisory |
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-53516 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-53516
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
Clean architecture API boilerplate - Node.js / TypeScript
Procfile TypeScript
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2026-53516 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-53516 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
-
Initial Analysis by [email protected]
Jul. 21, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:a:better-auth:better_auth:*:*:*:*:*:node.js:*:* versions up to (excluding) 1.6.11 Added Reference Type GitHub, Inc.: https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/commit/da7e50beee849c59a2ed1ec6b3a38cc6ab9fb563 Types: Patch Added Reference Type GitHub, Inc.: https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/pull/9578 Types: Issue Tracking, Patch Added Reference Type GitHub, Inc.: https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/releases/tag/v1.6.11 Types: Release Notes Added Reference Type GitHub, Inc.: https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/security/advisories/GHSA-g38m-r43w-p2q7 Types: Mitigation, Vendor Advisory -
New CVE Received by [email protected]
Jul. 15, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Affected [{'vendor': 'better-auth', 'product': 'better-auth', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '< 1.6.11'}]}] Added Description Better Auth is an authentication and authorization library for TypeScript. Prior to 1.6.11, Better Auth's OAuth callback auto-link gate in handleOAuthUserInfo accepts implicit account linking when the OAuth provider asserts email_verified: true without requiring the local user row's emailVerified field to also be true, allowing an attacker who pre-registers a victim email through /sign-up/email to bind the victim's OAuth identity to the attacker's account. The same primitive affects one-tap, and emailAndPassword.requireEmailVerification: true does not mitigate the link-time verification change. This issue is fixed in version 1.6.11. Added CVSS V3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L Added CWE CWE-287 Added CWE CWE-345 Added Reference https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/commit/da7e50beee849c59a2ed1ec6b3a38cc6ab9fb563 Added Reference https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/pull/9578 Added Reference https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/releases/tag/v1.6.11 Added Reference https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/security/advisories/GHSA-g38m-r43w-p2q7 -
CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
Jul. 15, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added SSVC {'id': 'CVE-2026-53516', 'role': 'CISA Coordinator', 'options': [{'exploitation': 'none'}, {'automatable': 'no'}, {'technicalImpact': 'total'}], 'version': '2.0.3', 'timestamp': '2026-07-15T17:51:30.733244Z'}