libcgi-session-perl — security advisory
CGI::Session::ID::md5 versions before 4.49 for Perl generate predictable session ids from low-entropy sources. The generate_id method builds the session id from a MD5 digest of the process id, the epoch time, and the built-in rand() function. All three are predictable, low-entropy sources: the PID is drawn from a small range, the epoch time can be guessed or read from the HTTP Date header, and Perl's rand() is unsuitable for security purposes because it is predictable and reversible. An attacker who predicts a session id can impersonate the corresponding session and bypass authentication.
- Products
- libcgi-session-perl
- Affected versions
- 4.48-4, 4.49-1
- Fixed versions
- 4.49-1
- CVEs
- CVE-2026-56016
- Confirmed fixed CVEs
- Not specified
- Updated in this feed
- 1 Nov 2026, 12:18 UTC · Revision 2
Source evidence
CGI::Session::ID::md5 versions before 4.49 for Perl generate predictable session ids from low-entropy sources. The generate_id method builds the session id from a MD5 digest of the process id, the epoch time, and the built-in rand() function. All three are predictable, low-entropy sources: the PID is drawn from a small range, the epoch time can be guessed or read from the HTTP Date header, and Perl's rand() is unsuitable for security purposes because it is predictable and reversible. An attacker who predicts a session id can impersonate the corresponding session and bypass authentication.
osv:DEBIAN-CVE-2026-56016
libcgi-session-perl
Fixed versions: Not specified
libcgi-session-perl
Fixed versions: Not specified
libcgi-session-perl
Fixed versions: 4.49-1
Complete source record
{
"id": "f994ae29fd86c5fb748bad661291a8150e08dc3fcf1a355f17e9788d90cbd740",
"url": "https://osv.dev/vulnerability/DEBIAN-CVE-2026-56016",
"method": "structured",
"payload": {
"kind": "advisory",
"title": "DEBIAN-CVE-2026-56016",
"summary": "CGI::Session::ID::md5 versions before 4.49 for Perl generate predictable session ids from low-entropy sources. The generate_id method builds the session id from a MD5 digest of the process id, the epoch time, and the built-in rand() function. All three are predictable, low-entropy sources: the PID is drawn from a small range, the epoch time can be guessed or read from the HTTP Date header, and Perl's rand() is unsuitable for security purposes because it is predictable and reversible. An attacker who predicts a session id can impersonate the corresponding session and bypass authentication.",
"evidence": "osv:DEBIAN-CVE-2026-56016",
"products": [
{
"name": {
"value": "libcgi-session-perl",
"evidence": "/affected/0/package/name"
},
"prerequisites": [],
"fixed_versions": [],
"affected_versions": [
{
"value": "4.48-4",
"evidence": "/affected/0/versions"
},
{
"value": "4.49-1",
"evidence": "/affected/0/versions"
}
]
},
{
"name": {
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"evidence": "/affected/1/package/name"
},
"prerequisites": [],
"fixed_versions": [],
"affected_versions": [
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"value": "4.48-4",
"evidence": "/affected/1/versions"
},
{
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}
]
},
{
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},
"prerequisites": [],
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]
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],
"severity": "medium",
"structured": {
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"aliases": [
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],
"metrics": [
{
"type": "CVSS_V3",
"score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
}
],
"affected": [
{
"ranges": [
{
"type": "ECOSYSTEM",
"events": [
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"package": {
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"purl": "pkg:deb/debian/libcgi-session-perl?arch=source&distro=bookworm",
"ecosystem": "Debian:12"
},
"versions": [
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],
"database_specific": {
"source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/debian-osv/debian-cve-osv/DEBIAN-CVE-2026-56016.json"
},
"ecosystem_specific": {
"urgency": "not yet assigned"
}
},
{
"ranges": [
{
"type": "ECOSYSTEM",
"events": [
{
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}
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],
"package": {
"name": "libcgi-session-perl",
"purl": "pkg:deb/debian/libcgi-session-perl?arch=source&distro=trixie",
"ecosystem": "Debian:13"
},
"versions": [
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"4.49-1"
],
"database_specific": {
"source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/debian-osv/debian-cve-osv/DEBIAN-CVE-2026-56016.json"
},
"ecosystem_specific": {
"urgency": "not yet assigned"
}
},
{
"ranges": [
{
"type": "ECOSYSTEM",
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0"
},
{
"fixed": "4.49-1"
}
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],
"package": {
"name": "libcgi-session-perl",
"purl": "pkg:deb/debian/libcgi-session-perl?arch=source&distro=forky",
"ecosystem": "Debian:14"
},
"versions": [
"4.48-4"
],
"database_specific": {
"source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/debian-osv/debian-cve-osv/DEBIAN-CVE-2026-56016.json"
},
"ecosystem_specific": {
"urgency": "not yet assigned"
}
}
],
"modified": "2026-10-26T11:47:31.620463074Z",
"provider": "osv",
"upstream": [
"CVE-2026-56016"
],
"references": [
"https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2026-56016"
]
},
"related_cves": [
{
"value": "CVE-2026-56016",
"evidence": "/upstream"
}
],
"security_relevant": true,
"severity_evidence": "/severity/0/score"
},
"source_id": "core-osv",
"document_id": 450811,
"published_at": "2026-07-01T08:16:21.883+00:00"
}