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CVE-2026-90451 – Authentication Cookie Forgery via Hardcoded Secret – Malcolm (Arkime component) bef

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Summary

CVE-2026-90451 is a use-of-hardcoded/default-credentials vulnerability (CWE-1392) affecting CISA’s Malcolm network traffic analysis suite, specifically in the bundled Arkime packet-analysis component. An example configuration file ships with a hardcoded, publicly known secret used to sign authentication cookies; deployments that use this example file as-is, without running Malcolm’s setup routine to regenerate the value, are exposed to authentication cookie forgery. The issue carries a CVSS score of 8.2 (High).

Technical details

  • Root cause: A publicly-known, hardcoded secret is embedded in an example configuration file used to sign authentication cookies for Malcolm’s Arkime packet-analysis component.
  • Trigger condition: The vulnerability is exploitable when an operator deploys Malcolm using the shipped example configuration file without executing the required setup routine to generate a unique, random signing secret.
  • Attack vector: Network — an attacker who knows the publicly disclosed default secret can craft a validly-signed authentication cookie without needing valid credentials or user interaction.
  • Impact: Successful exploitation allows forgery of authentication cookies, enabling an attacker to bypass authentication and gain unauthorized access to the Arkime web interface within a Malcolm deployment, resulting in a high impact to data/session integrity.

Affected software

  • CISA Malcolm — all versions prior to v26.06.0 (specifically deployments retaining the default example configuration for the bundled Arkime component’s cookie-signing secret)
  • Fixed in Malcolm v26.06.0 and later

Severity

  • CVSS v4.0 Base Score: 8.2 (High)
  • Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Mitigation and recommended actions

  • Immediate: Upgrade Malcolm to v26.06.0 or later, which removes reliance on the hardcoded example secret.
  • If upgrading is not immediately possible: Ensure the full Malcolm setup/configuration routine has been run on every deployment so that a unique, randomly generated cookie-signing secret replaces the example value; do not deploy example configuration files unmodified in production or internet-facing environments. Restrict network access to the Arkime/Malcolm web interface to trusted networks as a compensating control until the secret has been rotated and the software upgraded.

References

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