HotCRP is conference review software. Starting with 2.101, the `cmt:` search term checks whether a comment is visible to the searching user but fails to check whether the commenter's identity should be visible. A `cmt:USER` search can therefore match a paper with a visible comment authored by USER even when the comment is supposed to be anonymous. An authenticated user with access to the search can infer the author of an anonymous comment, compromising reviewer anonymity. Comments that the user cannot see remain excluded from search results. The advisory prose identifies 3.3 as fixed, its affected-version metadata excludes 3.3, and the verified repository tag 3.3 already contains the identity-check fix; however, its patched-version metadata instead lists 3.3.1. This fixed-version source conflict remains unresolved.

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Advisories

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Fixes

Solution

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Workaround

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History

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 19:30:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description HotCRP is conference review software. Starting with 2.101, the `cmt:` search term checks whether a comment is visible to the searching user but fails to check whether the commenter's identity should be visible. A `cmt:USER` search can therefore match a paper with a visible comment authored by USER even when the comment is supposed to be anonymous. An authenticated user with access to the search can infer the author of an anonymous comment, compromising reviewer anonymity. Comments that the user cannot see remain excluded from search results. The advisory prose identifies 3.3 as fixed, its affected-version metadata excludes 3.3, and the verified repository tag 3.3 already contains the identity-check fix; however, its patched-version metadata instead lists 3.3.1. This fixed-version source conflict remains unresolved.
Title HotCRP: comment-author search exposes anonymous commenter identities
Weaknesses CWE-863
References
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 6.5, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N'}


Projects

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cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: GitHub_M

Published:

Updated: 2026-10-30T19:25:29.640Z

Reserved: 2026-06-16T22:28:27.062Z

Link: CVE-2026-55493

cve-icon Vulnrichment

No data.

cve-icon NVD

Status : Received

Published: 2026-10-30T20:17:09.920

Modified: 2026-10-30T20:17:09.920

Link: CVE-2026-55493

cve-icon Redhat

No data.

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

Updated: 2026-10-30T20:30:14Z

Weaknesses