Authorization Flaw in OpenWA (CVE-2026-91161)
Summary
Vulnerability in OpenWA (CVE-2026-91161). Risk of unauthorized operations or information disclosure. Exploitable via GET /api/sessions/{sessionId}/groups/{groupId}/invite-code.
Original description
The description as published by the source.
OpenWA is a free, open source, self-hosted WhatsApp API gateway. Prior to 0.23.5, the GET /api/sessions/{sessionId}/groups/{groupId}/invite-code endpoint and the GroupGetInviteCode MCP tool have no OPERATOR role requirement, allowing a valid VIEWER key scoped to a session to retrieve an active group invite code. The invite code is a transferable WhatsApp bearer capability, so an external account can join a group administered by the session without an OpenWA credential, gain read and post access to the group, and retain membership after the VIEWER key is revoked. Affected deployments are those that issue VIEWER keys to parties who should not be able to add accounts to administered groups; OPERATOR and ADMIN access is intended. This issue is fixed in version 0.23.5.
Source: NIST National Vulnerability Database NVD
Auto-generated summary
Assembled by SecPulse from the source data (CVSS, CWE, affected versions) using templates — no AI involved. Check the original description and references below for exact details.
A vulnerability tracked as CVE-2026-91161 has been found in OpenWA.
Attackers can target a specific entry point like GET /api/sessions/{sessionId}/groups/{groupId}/invite-code over the network to misuse the product.
Risk of unauthorized operations or information disclosure. CVSS score: 6.4/10.
What to do: apply the vendor's official patched release.
If unsure, ask your IT team or search "OpenWA CVE-2026-91161" on the vendor's site.
CVE-2026-91161 (OpenWA) — CWE-863 / CVSS v3 6.4
Attack vector: remote (network-reachable) / no user interaction
Attack surface: GET /api/sessions/{sessionId}/groups/{groupId}/invite-code
Plan: 1) Audit SBOM/dependencies, 2) Stage→prod upgrade, 3) Add WAF/proxy monitoring on affected endpoints, 4) Hunt IOCs in logs.
Refs: see the GHSA / vendor advisory / patched release linked on this page.
Incorrect authorization (CWE-863) exists in OpenWA. Attackers reach the vulnerable code path via GET /api/sessions/{sessionId}/groups/{groupId}/invite-code.
Check the vendor advisory for the affected versions of OpenWA. Attack surface: GET /api/sessions/{sessionId}/groups/{groupId}/invite-code.
Severity: Medium (CVSS 6.4/10). Risk of unauthorized operations or information disclosure.
Update to the patched release per vendor advisory.
Until the patch is applied: disable the affected feature, apply WAF rules, or restrict access via network ACLs.
Search webserver/proxy logs for unusual GET /api/sessions/{sessionId}/groups/{groupId}/invite-code requests with malformed payloads or SQL meta-characters. Run grep -r 'OpenWA' . against your dependency files (package-lock.json, requirements.txt, go.sum) to find affected services.
Response actions
Concrete steps and command examples for SOC/SRE teams to execute in order
-
1Identify exposure identify
grep -r 'OpenWA' . | grep -v node_modulesリポジトリと本番環境の依存ファイル (package-lock.json / requirements.txt / go.sum / Gemfile.lock 等) で
OpenWAを grep し、稼働しているサービス・バージョンを把握する。 -
2Hunt for indicators of compromise detect
grep 'GET /api/sessions/{sessionId}/groups/{groupId}/invite-code' /var/log/nginx/access.log | grep -E '(unusual_payload|sqli_pattern)'アクセスログで
GET /api/sessions/{sessionId}/groups/{groupId}/invite-codeへの異常なリクエスト (不正な認証ヘッダ・SQLメタ文字)を過去 30〜90日分捜索。WAF/SIEM があれば該当パスのアラート発火履歴を確認。 -
3Post-deployment verification verify
Replay attack against GET /api/sessions/{sessionId}/groups/{groupId}/invite-code on staging to confirm patch closes the vectorパッチ適用後、ステージングで PoC または同等の悪用パターンを再現して脆弱性が閉じたことを確認。本番では Step 2 と同じログクエリでアラート再発が無いか継続監視。