Executive brief
OpenC3 COSMOS, a platform for command and control of spacecraft and other systems, contains a flaw in how it handles password changes. An attacker who has managed to steal a user's active session token can use that token to permanently change the account's password without knowing the original one. This allows the attacker to lock out legitimate users and maintain long-term control over the system, potentially including administrative accounts.
Technical details
A design flaw in the OpenC3 COSMOS authentication model (specifically within authentication.rb) allows session tokens and passwords to be used interchangeably for identity verification during password reset operations. Because session tokens are not invalidated upon a password change, an attacker with a hijacked token can submit a password change request by providing the token in place of the 'old_password' field. This enables the attacker to maintain persistence even after a legitimate user attempts to secure the account by changing their password. The vulnerability is tracked as CWE-620 (Unverified Password Change) and is resolved in versions 6.10.5 and 7.0.0-rc3.
Affected products
- OpenC3 COSMOS < 6.10.5, >= 7.0.0.pre.rc1, < 7.0.0-rc3
Timeline
- 2026-04-20: disclosed: Initial disclosure to OpenC3/cosmos repository
- 2026-04-22: advisory: GitHub Advisory published
- 2026-05-04: other: NVD publication date