CVE-2026-53518 — Better Auth OAuth Provider: Race Condition in Authorization Code Exchange Enables Multi-Use Code Redemption
Better Auth is an authentication and authorization library for TypeScript. From 1.6.0 until 1.6.11, the @better-auth/oauth-provider POST /oauth2/token endpoint for the authorization_code grant redeems a single-use authorization code through a non-atomic find-then-delete sequence, allowing two concurrent requests to pass the read step and mint independent access tokens, refresh tokens, and ID tokens; legacy /oauth2/token and /mcp/token paths in oidc-provider and mcp plugins share the same primitive. This issue is fixed in version 1.6.11.
Who exploits it and how urgent it is
A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.
How the score was calculated
- Technical severity (high)+6
The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).
Triage
Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.
CISA SSVC assessment CISA
Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.
Remediation
Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.
- Documented patch — github.com (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
- Documented mitigation — github.com (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
First 24 hours
Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.
- Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Better-auth Better-auth, Better-auth Better-auth/oauth-provider).
- The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
- Apply the fixed version or the patch documented under Remediation.
- Exploitation requires user interaction: tighten email/web filtering and warn affected users.
- Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (logic error), errors and authentication anomalies.
Affected scope
Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Better-auth | Better-auth | ≥ 1.6.0 and < 1.6.11 | Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| Better-auth | Better-auth | version >= 1.6.0, < 1.6.11 | Vulnerable | CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
| Better-auth | Better-auth/oauth-provider | ≥ 1.6.0 and < 1.6.11 | Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
Attack characteristics
The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.
Every base score collected
Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.
| Score | Version | Severity | Expl. | Impact | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.6 | CVSS 4.0 | High | — | — | security-advisories@github.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 7.6 | CVSS 4.0 | High | — | — | GitHub_M via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
| 8.1 | CVSS 3.1 | High | 2.8 | 5.2 | nvd@nist.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N (score shown at the top: nvd@nist.gov) Weakness MITRE
Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.
Detection
Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.
- Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first.
- 2026
- Affected products added · better-auth/better-auth
- SSVC assessment updated
- Record published
- Fix documented
- CVSS changed · 8.1
- Source status changed · → Analyzed
- Record created in this database
- CVE published
Source activity
Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.
- 1× Official description updated · Oct 15, 2026 – Oct 15, 2026
References
3 on the record
Elsewhere on this site
Related CVEs (same products)
- Critical CVE-2026-110862 Better Auth 1.4.0-beta.18 before 1.7.7 Authentication Bypass via Magic Link 1d
- Low CVE-2026-110861 Better Auth drizzle-adapter 1.6.17 before 1.7.7 Rate Limit Bypass via Race Condition 1d
- High CVE-2026-110864 Better Auth 1.5.0-beta.12 before 1.7.7 Authentication Bypass via OAuth Proxy 1d
- High CVE-2026-109346 better-auth 1.3.8-beta.3 before 1.7.0-rc.3 Device Authorization Phishing via /device 3d
- Medium CVE-2025-71401 better-auth before 1.4.2 basePath Modification DoS Aug 2, 2026
- High CVE-2025-71399 Better Auth before 1.4.5 Path Normalization Bypass via rou3 Aug 2, 2026
Not in any source we poll
Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.
- No FIRST EPSS score.
- No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
- No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
- No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.
Answered from this record
Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.
What should defenders know first?
CVE-2026-53518 is "Better Auth OAuth Provider: Race Condition in Authorization Code Exchange Enables Multi-Use Code Redemption", rated High. It affects Better-auth (Better-auth); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 8.1 describes technical severity. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.
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