CVE-2025-69240: Raytha CMS Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2025-69240 Overview

Raytha CMS contains a Host Header Injection vulnerability that allows attackers to manipulate password reset functionality for account takeover. An attacker can spoof the X-Forwarded-Host or Host headers to redirect password reset links to an attacker-controlled domain. When a victim clicks the malicious reset link, their password reset token is transmitted to the attacker's server, enabling complete account takeover.

Critical Impact

This vulnerability enables complete account takeover through password reset link manipulation. Attackers only need to know a victim's email address to exploit this flaw and gain unauthorized access to their account.

Affected Products

• Raytha CMS versions prior to 1.4.6

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-03-16 - CVE CVE-2025-69240 published to NVD
• 2026-03-16 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-69240

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability falls under CWE-348 (Use of Less Trusted Source), where the application improperly trusts user-controlled HTTP headers for constructing security-critical URLs. The Raytha CMS password reset functionality uses the X-Forwarded-Host or Host header values to generate the base URL for password reset links sent via email. Since these headers can be arbitrarily set by attackers, the generated reset URLs can point to malicious domains instead of the legitimate application domain.

The attack requires minimal preconditions—the attacker only needs to know the victim's email address. The vulnerability is network-exploitable and does not require any prior authentication or special privileges. However, exploitation does require user interaction (the victim must click the malicious link), which provides a partial mitigation factor.

Root Cause

The root cause is the application's failure to validate or sanitize the X-Forwarded-Host and Host HTTP headers before using them to construct password reset URLs. The CMS trusts these headers implicitly when generating email content, allowing attackers to inject arbitrary domain values that are then included in outgoing password reset emails.

Attack Vector

The attack follows a multi-step process:

1. The attacker identifies a target user's email address registered with the Raytha CMS instance
2. The attacker initiates a password reset request while spoofing the X-Forwarded-Host or Host header to point to their controlled domain
3. The CMS generates a password reset email containing a link with the attacker's domain instead of the legitimate domain
4. When the victim receives the email and clicks the reset link, their browser sends a request to the attacker's domain
5. The attacker's server captures the password reset token from the URL path
6. The attacker uses the captured token on the legitimate CMS to reset the victim's password and gain account access

This is a network-based attack vector that requires user interaction but no authentication, making it accessible to any external attacker who can reach the CMS instance.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-69240

Indicators of Compromise

• Password reset requests containing unusual or external domain values in X-Forwarded-Host headers
• HTTP requests with Host headers that do not match the expected application domain
• Suspicious password reset activity where users report receiving links to unfamiliar domains
• Web server logs showing requests with spoofed header values during password reset operations

Detection Strategies

• Implement WAF rules to detect and block requests with X-Forwarded-Host headers containing unexpected domain values
• Monitor authentication logs for password reset requests followed by successful logins from different geographic locations or IP addresses
• Configure alerting for password reset requests with header values that don't match the configured application domain
• Enable detailed HTTP header logging to capture potential host header manipulation attempts

Monitoring Recommendations

• Review web server access logs for anomalous Host and X-Forwarded-Host header patterns
• Monitor email delivery logs for password reset emails to identify any containing unexpected URL domains
• Implement user behavior analytics to detect account compromise following password reset activity
• Set up alerts for multiple password reset requests targeting the same user account within short timeframes

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-69240

Immediate Actions Required

• Upgrade Raytha CMS to version 1.4.6 or later immediately
• Audit recent password reset activity for any suspicious patterns indicating potential exploitation
• Review user accounts for unauthorized access or changes following password resets
• Consider temporarily disabling the password reset functionality until the patch is applied

Patch Information

Raytha has addressed this vulnerability in version 1.4.6. Organizations should upgrade to this version or later to remediate the Host Header Injection vulnerability. The patch implements proper validation of host header values before using them in password reset URL generation.

For more information, refer to the CERT PL Security Analysis and the Raytha official website.

Workarounds

• Configure a reverse proxy or web application firewall to strip or validate X-Forwarded-Host headers before they reach the application
• Implement a whitelist of allowed host values at the web server level to reject requests with unexpected host headers
• Use server-side configuration to explicitly define the application's base URL rather than relying on client-supplied headers
• Enable HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) and configure proper domain validation in the application's email templates