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CVE-2023-42446

Pow Mnesia cache doesn't invalidate all expired keys on startup

6.5 MediumFix available

Pow is a authentication and user management solution for Phoenix and Plug-based apps. Starting in version 1.0.14 and prior to version 1.0.34, use of Pow.Store.Backend.MnesiaCache is susceptible to session hijacking as expired keys are not being invalidated correctly on startup. A session may expire when all Pow.Store.Backend.MnesiaCache instances have been shut down for a period that is longer than a session's remaining TTL. Version 1.0.34 contains a patch for this issue. As a workaround, expired keys, including all expired sessions, can be manually invalidated.

Attack profile

How easy it is to exploit

Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges needed
Low
User interaction
None

What an attacker can affect

Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
None

Exploit likelihood

0.55%Up 0.5 points since Sep 19, 2023
90%50%10%1%

What each source reports

CVE List Score used 6.5

Pow Mnesia cache doesn't invalidate all expired keys on startup

Pow is a authentication and user management solution for Phoenix and Plug-based apps. Starting in version 1.0.14 and prior to version 1.0.34, use of Pow.Store.Backend.MnesiaCache is susceptible to session hijacking as expired keys are not being invalidated correctly on startup. A session may expire when all Pow.Store.Backend.MnesiaCache instances have been shut down for a period that is longer than a session's remaining TTL. Version 1.0.34 contains a patch for this issue. As a workaround, expired keys, including all expired sessions, can be manually invalidated.

Record
CVE-2023-42446
CVSS 3.1
6.5 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
Weakness
CWE-298
Updated
2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2023-2404 6.5

Pow is a authentication and user management solution for Phoenix and Plug-based apps. Starting in version 1.0.14 and prior to version 1.0.34, use of Pow.Store.Backend.MnesiaCache is susceptible to session hijacking as expired keys are not being invalidated correctly on startup. A session may expire when all Pow.Store.Backend.MnesiaCache instances have been shut down for a period that is longer than a session's remaining TTL. Version 1.0.34 contains a patch for this issue. As a workaround, expired keys, including all expired sessions, can be manually invalidated.

Record
EUVD-2023-2404
CVSS 3.1
6.5 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
Updated
2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-3cjh-p6pw-jhv9 6.5

Pow Mnesia cache doesn't invalidate all expired keys on startup

Use of Pow.Store.Backend.MnesiaCache is susceptible to session hijacking as expired keys are not being invalidated correctly on startup. A cache key may become expired when all Pow.Store.Backend.MnesiaCache instances have been shut down for a period that is longer than the keys' remaining TTL and the expired key won't be invalidated on startups.

Workarounds

The expired keys, including all expired sessions, can be manually invalidated by running:

:mnesia.sync_transaction(fn ->
  Enum.each(:mnesia.dirty_select(Pow.Store.Backend.MnesiaCache, [{{Pow.Store.Backend.MnesiaCache, :_, :_}, [], [:"$_"]}]), fn {_, key,  {_value, expire}} ->
    ttl = expire - :os.system_time(:millisecond)
    if ttl < 0, do: :mnesia.delete({Pow.Store.Backend.MnesiaCache, key})
  end)
end)

References

https://github.com/pow-auth/pow/commit/15dc525be03c466daa5d2119ca7acdec7b24ed17 https://github.com/pow-auth/pow/issues/713 https://github.com/pow-auth/pow/pull/714

Record
GHSA-3cjh-p6pw-jhv9
CVSS 3.1
6.5 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
Weakness
CWE-298, CWE-672
Updated
2026-11-02
NVD 6.5

Pow is a authentication and user management solution for Phoenix and Plug-based apps. Starting in version 1.0.14 and prior to version 1.0.34, use of Pow.Store.Backend.MnesiaCache is susceptible to session hijacking as expired keys are not being invalidated correctly on startup. A session may expire when all Pow.Store.Backend.MnesiaCache instances have been shut down for a period that is longer than a session's remaining TTL. Version 1.0.34 contains a patch for this issue. As a workaround, expired keys, including all expired sessions, can be manually invalidated.

Record
CVE-2023-42446
CVSS 3.1
6.5 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
Weakness
CWE-298, CWE-672
Updated
2026-11-02
OSV 6.5

Pow Mnesia cache doesn't invalidate all expired keys on startup

Pow is a authentication and user management solution for Phoenix and Plug-based apps. Starting in version 1.0.14 and prior to version 1.0.34, use of Pow.Store.Backend.MnesiaCache is susceptible to session hijacking as expired keys are not being invalidated correctly on startup. A session may expire when all Pow.Store.Backend.MnesiaCache instances have been shut down for a period that is longer than a session's remaining TTL. Version 1.0.34 contains a patch for this issue. As a workaround, expired keys, including all expired sessions, can be manually invalidated.

Record
CVE-2023-42446
CVSS 3.1
6.5 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
Weakness
CWE-298
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVGHSA-3cjh-p6pw-jhv9 6.5

Pow Mnesia cache doesn't invalidate all expired keys on startup

Use of Pow.Store.Backend.MnesiaCache is susceptible to session hijacking as expired keys are not being invalidated correctly on startup. A cache key may become expired when all Pow.Store.Backend.MnesiaCache instances have been shut down for a period that is longer than the keys' remaining TTL and the expired key won't be invalidated on startups.

Workarounds

The expired keys, including all expired sessions, can be manually invalidated by running:

:mnesia.sync_transaction(fn ->
  Enum.each(:mnesia.dirty_select(Pow.Store.Backend.MnesiaCache, [{{Pow.Store.Backend.MnesiaCache, :_, :_}, [], [:"$_"]}]), fn {_, key,  {_value, expire}} ->
    ttl = expire - :os.system_time(:millisecond)
    if ttl < 0, do: :mnesia.delete({Pow.Store.Backend.MnesiaCache, key})
  end)
end)

References

https://github.com/pow-auth/pow/commit/15dc525be03c466daa5d2119ca7acdec7b24ed17 https://github.com/pow-auth/pow/issues/713 https://github.com/pow-auth/pow/pull/714

Record
GHSA-3cjh-p6pw-jhv9
CVSS 3.1
6.5 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
Weakness
CWE-298, CWE-672
Updated
2026-11-02

Affected products

Affected packages

Affected packages
PackageAffectedFixed
pow
Hex
 1.0.14 up to 1.0.34
1.0.34
pow
Hex
 1.0.14 up to 1.0.34, plus listed versions
1.0.151.0.161.0.171.0.181.0.19
Show 14 moreShow less
1.0.201.0.211.0.221.0.231.0.241.0.251.0.261.0.271.0.281.0.291.0.301.0.311.0.321.0.33
1.0.34

History

History
RecordedChangedSources
aliases, publishedEUVD
first indexedCVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV

Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.

In short

CVE-2023-42446 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 6.5) in Pow-auth Pow, published September 18, 2023. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.55%, the 46th percentile. Fixed in pow 1.0.34.

References

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