Security: forgot password and sign-in don't reveal accounts (1.51.17)

- Forgot password answers the same (message, status, timing) for every email; the reset link
  is made and sent after the answer. Rate-limited like sign-in.
- Sign-in with an unknown email is refused exactly like a wrong password, after a password
  check against a stand-in hash.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01Ls1vMdg2GYqbnKZmPaX1ot

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -7,6 +7,25 @@ and this project follows [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/).
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+## [1.51.17] - 2026-10-30 — security release
+
+### Security
+
+- **Forgot password no longer reveals whether an account exists.** It answered "Email not found"
+  (404) for an unknown address, so anyone could check which emails have accounts. It now gives
+  the same answer and status for every address, sent before any work that only happens for a
+  real account (so the response time doesn't tell either); the reset link is made and sent
+  afterwards. Applies to `POST /api/users/forgot` and `POST /api/v2/auth/password/forgot`.
+- **Sign-in no longer reveals it either.** An unknown email answered "User does not exist" (with a
+  different status on v1); it now gets exactly the answer a wrong password gets, after a password
+  check against a stand-in hash so it takes as long.
+- Forgot password is rate-limited like sign-in, so it can't be used to flood someone's inbox with
+  reset emails.
+
+### Upgrading
+
+- Update as soon as you can. Nothing else changes; the forgot-password page shows the new message.
+
 ## [1.51.16] - 2026-10-30
 
 ### Added

WHATS-NEW.md

@@ -12,6 +12,11 @@ Write for church admins, not developers: no environment variables, endpoints or
 developer log is CHANGELOG.md. A tagged version without a section here shows "No details given".
 -->
 
+## 1.51.17 — security update
+
+- **Better protection for people's accounts.** The forgot-password and sign-in pages no longer
+  let anyone find out whether an email address has an account here.
+
 ## 1.51.16
 
 - **The move to the new server connection is complete.** Payment confirmations from Yoco and

backend/package-lock.json

@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 {
   "name": "event-management-backend",
-  "version": "1.51.16",
+  "version": "1.51.17",
   "lockfileVersion": 3,
   "requires": true,
   "packages": {
     "": {
       "name": "event-management-backend",
-      "version": "1.51.16",
+      "version": "1.51.17",
       "hasInstallScript": true,
       "dependencies": {
         "@cj-tech-master/excelts": "^10.2.0",

backend/package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "event-management-backend",
-  "version": "1.51.16",
+  "version": "1.51.17",
   "description": "Event Management System Backend",
   "main": "src/index.js",
   "scripts": {

backend/src/controllers/userController.js

@@ -539,55 +539,52 @@ const requestPasswordReset = async (req, res) => {
 
     const user = await prisma.user.findUnique({ where: { email } });
 
-    // Explicitly check existence as requested
-    if (!user) {
-      return res.status(404).json({ message: 'Email not found' });
-    }
-
-    // Create token valid for 1 hour
-    const token = uuidv4();
-    const expiresAt = new Date(Date.now() + 60 * 60 * 1000);
-
-    // If PasswordReset model isn't available (migration not run), return clear error
-    if (!prisma.passwordReset || typeof prisma.passwordReset.create !== 'function' || typeof prisma.passwordReset.updateMany !== 'function') {
-      console.warn('[PasswordReset] Prisma model not available. Run Prisma migrations to enable password reset tokens.');
-      return res.status(500).json({ message: 'Password reset is not available. Please contact support.' });
-    }
-
-    // Invalidate previous tokens (optional)
-    await prisma.passwordReset.updateMany({
-      where: { userId: user.id, used: false, expiresAt: { gt: new Date() } },
-      data: { used: true }
-    });
-
-    await prisma.passwordReset.create({
-      data: {
-        id: uuidv4(),
-        userId: user.id,
-        token,
-        expiresAt,
-        used: false
-      }
-    });
-
-    const baseUrl = process.env.FRONTEND_URL || process.env.APP_BASE_URL || 'http://localhost:3001';
-    const resetUrl = `${baseUrl.replace(/\/$/, '')}/reset-password?token=${encodeURIComponent(token)}`;
-
-    const { sendMail, buildPasswordResetEmail } = require('../utils/email');
-    const emailContent = buildPasswordResetEmail({ name: user.name, resetUrl });
-    // Security: always email
-    sendMail({ to: user.email, subject: 'Reset your password', ...emailContent })
-      .catch(e => console.warn('[password reset email] Failed:', e?.message || e));
-    // Also WhatsApp if preferred (security message — sent in addition to email)
-    const { waText } = require('../utils/notify');
-    waText(user, emailContent.text).catch(() => {});
-
-    return res.json({ message: 'If that email exists, a password reset link has been sent.' });
+    // Security (1.51.17): the same answer, with the same status, whether or not an account has
+    // this email — and it's sent before any work that only happens for real accounts, so the
+    // response time doesn't tell either. The link is made and sent afterwards.
+    res.json({ message: GENERIC_RESET_MESSAGE });
+    if (user) sendPasswordResetLink(user).catch(e => console.warn('[password reset] Failed:', e?.message || e));
   } catch (error) {
     res.status(res.statusCode === 200 ? 400 : res.statusCode).json({ message: safeErrorMessage(error) });
   }
 };
 
+const GENERIC_RESET_MESSAGE = 'If an account uses that email, we\'ve sent it a link to reset the password.';
+
+/** A one-hour reset link for this account, by email (and WhatsApp when they prefer it). */
+async function sendPasswordResetLink(user) {
+  const token = uuidv4();
+  const expiresAt = new Date(Date.now() + 60 * 60 * 1000);
+
+  // Invalidate previous tokens (optional)
+  await prisma.passwordReset.updateMany({
+    where: { userId: user.id, used: false, expiresAt: { gt: new Date() } },
+    data: { used: true }
+  });
+
+  await prisma.passwordReset.create({
+    data: {
+      id: uuidv4(),
+      userId: user.id,
+      token,
+      expiresAt,
+      used: false
+    }
+  });
+
+  const baseUrl = process.env.FRONTEND_URL || process.env.APP_BASE_URL || 'http://localhost:3001';
+  const resetUrl = `${baseUrl.replace(/\/$/, '')}/reset-password?token=${encodeURIComponent(token)}`;
+
+  const { sendMail, buildPasswordResetEmail } = require('../utils/email');
+  const emailContent = buildPasswordResetEmail({ name: user.name, resetUrl });
+  // Security: always email
+  sendMail({ to: user.email, subject: 'Reset your password', ...emailContent })
+    .catch(e => console.warn('[password reset email] Failed:', e?.message || e));
+  // Also WhatsApp if preferred (security message — sent in addition to email)
+  const { waText } = require('../utils/notify');
+  waText(user, emailContent.text).catch(() => {});
+}
+
 // @desc    Reset password using token
 // @route   POST /api/users/reset
 // @access  Public

backend/src/routes/userRoutes.js

@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ router.post('/', registerUser);
 router.post('/login', loginLimiter, loginUser);
 router.post('/login/2fa', loginLimiter, verifyLoginTwoFactor);
 router.post('/login/2fa/resend', loginLimiter, resendLoginTwoFactor);
-router.post('/forgot', requestPasswordReset);
+router.post('/forgot', loginLimiter, requestPasswordReset);
 router.post('/reset', resetPassword);
 router.post('/activate', activateAccount);
 

backend/src/services/auth.ts

@@ -207,6 +207,10 @@ export type LoginResult =
   | { status: 'signed_in'; session: Session }
   | { status: 'code_required'; challenge: { challengeId: string; method: string; destination: string | null }; enrolling: boolean };
 
+let standIn: Promise<string> | null = null;
+/** A hash nobody's password matches, so a sign-in with an unknown email does the same work. */
+const standInHash = () => (standIn ??= auth.hashPassword(uuidv4()));
+
 const MAX_ATTEMPTS = 5;
 const LOCK_TIME = 5 * 60 * 1000;
 
@@ -219,7 +223,12 @@ export async function logIn(input: { identifier: string; password: string; devic
   // SA local format (0xx) → international (27xx)
   const normalizedPhone = whatsapp().normalizeZAPhone(rawInput) || rawInput.replace(/\D/g, '');
   const user = await prisma.user.findFirst({ where: { OR: [{ email: rawInput }, ...(normalizedPhone ? [{ phoneNumber: normalizedPhone }] : [])] } });
-  if (!user) return fail(401, 'User does not exist');
+  // Security (1.51.17): an unknown email answers like a wrong password — same message and
+  // status, and a password check against a stand-in hash so it takes as long.
+  if (!user) {
+    await auth.comparePassword(input.password, await standInHash());
+    return fail(401, 'Invalid email or password', undefined, { v1Status: 400 });
+  }
 
   if (!user.isActive) {
     // Resend the activation link on each attempt, in case the earlier one expired.

backend/src/v2/resources/peopleMessaging.ts

@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ const qs = (req: Request) => (req.originalUrl.includes('?') ? req.originalUrl.sl
 // ─── Accounts ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 v1Route({ method: 'post', path: '/auth/login/code/resend', tag: 'Accounts', summary: 'Send the sign-in code again', access: 'public', middleware: [loginLimiter], body: loose, v1: users.resendLoginTwoFactor });
-v1Route({ method: 'post', path: '/auth/password/forgot', tag: 'Accounts', summary: 'Email me a link to reset my password', description: 'NOT_FOUND when no account has that email (as v1 does).', access: 'public', body: z.looseObject({ email: z.string().max(200) }), v1: users.requestPasswordReset });
+v1Route({ method: 'post', path: '/auth/password/forgot', tag: 'Accounts', summary: 'Email me a link to reset my password', description: 'Always the same answer, so it doesn\'t say whether an account has that email. Rate-limited like sign-in.', access: 'public', middleware: [loginLimiter], body: z.looseObject({ email: z.string().max(200) }), v1: users.requestPasswordReset });
 v1Route({ method: 'post', path: '/auth/password/reset', tag: 'Accounts', summary: 'Set a new password with a reset link', access: 'public', body: loose, v1: users.resetPassword });
 v1Route({ method: 'post', path: '/auth/activate', tag: 'Accounts', summary: 'Activate an account with its link', access: 'public', body: loose, v1: users.activateAccount });
 v1Route({ method: 'post', path: '/me/sessions/revoke', tag: 'Me', summary: 'Sign out everywhere else', access: 'user', body: loose, v1: users.revokeMySession });

backend/tests/accountEnumeration.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+/**
+ * 1.51.17 security fix: nothing public says whether an account exists. Forgot-password answers
+ * the same for every email (before doing any per-account work), and sign-in with an unknown email
+ * answers exactly like a wrong password.
+ */
+const mockDb = {
+  user: { findUnique: jest.fn(), findFirst: jest.fn(), update: jest.fn() },
+  passwordReset: { updateMany: jest.fn(), create: jest.fn() },
+};
+jest.mock('../src/config/db', () => mockDb);
+const mockCompare = jest.fn(async () => false);
+jest.mock('../src/config/auth', () => ({ comparePassword: (...a: unknown[]) => (mockCompare as jest.Mock)(...a), hashPassword: async () => 'stand-in-hash', generateToken: () => 't' }));
+const mockSendMail = jest.fn(async () => undefined);
+jest.mock('../src/utils/email', () => ({ sendMail: (...a: unknown[]) => (mockSendMail as jest.Mock)(...a), buildPasswordResetEmail: () => ({ html: '', text: 'reset' }) }));
+jest.mock('../src/utils/notify', () => ({ waText: async () => undefined }));
+jest.mock('../src/utils/securityEvents', () => ({ logSecurityEvent: async () => undefined, getRecentSecurityEvents: async () => [] }));
+jest.mock('../src/utils/whatsapp', () => ({ normalizeZAPhone: () => null, isValidZAPhone: () => false }));
+
+import { logIn } from '../src/services/auth';
+import { ServiceError } from '../src/services/errors';
+// eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-require-imports
+const { requestPasswordReset } = require('../src/controllers/userController');
+
+type Answer = { status: number; body: unknown };
+function call(handler: (req: unknown, res: unknown) => Promise<void>, body: object): Promise<Answer> {
+  return new Promise(resolve => {
+    let status = 200;
+    const res = {
+      statusCode: 200,
+      status(n: number) { status = n; this.statusCode = n; return this; },
+      json(b: unknown) { resolve({ status, body: b }); return this; },
+    };
+    handler({ body, headers: {}, ip: '127.0.0.1' }, res);
+  });
+}
+
+const realUser = { id: 'u1', name: 'Thandi', email: 'thandi@example.org', isActive: true, password: 'real-hash', failedAttempts: 0, lockUntil: null, role: 'user' };
+
+beforeEach(() => jest.clearAllMocks());
+
+describe('forgot password', () => {
+  test('answers the same, with the same status, for an email with and without an account', async () => {
+    mockDb.user.findUnique.mockResolvedValueOnce(null);
+    const unknown = await call(requestPasswordReset, { email: 'nobody@example.org' });
+    mockDb.user.findUnique.mockResolvedValueOnce(realUser);
+    const known = await call(requestPasswordReset, { email: realUser.email });
+    expect(unknown).toEqual(known);
+    expect(known.status).toBe(200);
+  });
+
+  test('only a real account gets a link, made after the answer is sent', async () => {
+    mockDb.user.findUnique.mockResolvedValueOnce(null);
+    await call(requestPasswordReset, { email: 'nobody@example.org' });
+    await new Promise(r => setImmediate(r));
+    expect(mockDb.passwordReset.create).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(mockSendMail).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+
+    mockDb.user.findUnique.mockResolvedValueOnce(realUser);
+    const answered = call(requestPasswordReset, { email: realUser.email });
+    await answered;
+    await new Promise(r => setImmediate(r));
+    expect(mockDb.passwordReset.create).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(mockSendMail).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.objectContaining({ to: realUser.email }));
+  });
+});
+
+describe('sign-in', () => {
+  const failure = async (p: Promise<unknown>) => { try { await p; } catch (e) { return e as ServiceError; } throw new Error('expected a refusal'); };
+
+  test('an unknown email is refused exactly like a wrong password', async () => {
+    mockDb.user.findFirst.mockResolvedValueOnce(null);
+    const unknown = await failure(logIn({ identifier: 'nobody@example.org', password: 'x' }, { ip: '1', userAgent: 'jest' }));
+    mockDb.user.findFirst.mockResolvedValueOnce(realUser);
+    const wrong = await failure(logIn({ identifier: realUser.email, password: 'x' }, { ip: '1', userAgent: 'jest' }));
+    expect({ message: unknown.message, status: unknown.statusCode, v1: unknown.v1Status }).toEqual({ message: wrong.message, status: wrong.statusCode, v1: wrong.v1Status });
+  });
+
+  test('an unknown email still does a password check, so it takes as long', async () => {
+    mockDb.user.findFirst.mockResolvedValueOnce(null);
+    await failure(logIn({ identifier: 'nobody@example.org', password: 'guess' }, { ip: '1', userAgent: 'jest' }));
+    expect(mockCompare).toHaveBeenCalledWith('guess', 'stand-in-hash');
+  });
+});

docs/HANDOVER.md

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # Handover — where things stand and how to carry on
 
-Last updated: 2026-10-30, after **1.51.16** (and Hub 1.5.0). The plan itself is in
+Last updated: 2026-10-30, after **1.51.17** (and Hub 1.5.0). The plan itself is in
 [ROADMAP-v2.md](./ROADMAP-v2.md) (decisions table at the end); the previous round of
 features is in [FEATURES-ROUND-1.md](./FEATURES-ROUND-1.md).
 
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ encrypted settings unreadable or break existing installs.
 | 1.51.3 | **Express 5** (qs query parser and `req.body = {}` kept); scanner and at-the-door on v2 check-in; shared middleware answers v2-shaped on `/api/v2` (`legacyErrorsToV2`, `reason`); v1 `Deprecation` + `successor-version` headers (`src/v2/deprecation.ts`) |
 | 1.51.2 | **v2 accounts and check-in**: signup, login (+ code step), `PATCH /me`; check-in look-up and scan with `outcome`s. `src/services/auth.ts` (from userController) and `src/services/checkin.ts` (from ticketController); login/signup/profile pages on v2 |
 | 1.51.1 | **v2 registrations and payments**: register, get, cancel, checkout; create/cancel moved to `src/services/registrations.ts`, online checkout to `src/services/payments.ts` (v1 uses them too); typed frontend calls (`apiV2`, `npm run api:types`); register page, Pay now and My Events cancel on v2 |
+| 1.51.17 | **Security:** forgot-password and sign-in don't reveal whether an account exists (same answer, status and timing); forgot-password rate-limited |
 | 1.51.16 | **Incoming webhooks and message links on v2** — `src/v2/links.ts` (`/api/v2/webhooks/…`, one-click unsubscribe, 308s for old links); provider URLs and email links point at v2 |
 | 1.51.15 | **Privacy and admin on v2** — `resources/adminPrivacy.ts`; every frontend call on v2; impersonation end/log allowed on v2 while read-only |
 | 1.51.14 | **People and messaging on v2** — `resources/peopleMessaging.ts`; `/event-listing` for the public pages; `defineRoute` refuses duplicates |

e2e/api-v2.spec.ts

@@ -307,9 +307,16 @@ test.describe("API v2", () => {
 
     const users = (await (await request.get(`${API}/api/v2/users?page=1&limit=2`, { headers: sup })).json()).data;
     expect(users).toMatchObject({ page: 1, limit: 2 });
-    // As v1: an unknown email is NOT_FOUND.
-    const forgot = await request.post(`${API}/api/v2/auth/password/forgot`, { data: { email: "nobody-e2e@example.com" } });
-    expect((await forgot.json()).error.code).toBe("NOT_FOUND");
+    // Forgot-password doesn't say whether an account exists (1.51.17): the same answer either way.
+    const unknown = await request.post(`${API}/api/v2/auth/password/forgot`, { data: { email: "nobody-e2e@example.com" } });
+    const known = await request.post(`${API}/api/v2/auth/password/forgot`, { data: { email: seed().users.user.email } });
+    expect(unknown.status()).toBe(200);
+    expect(await unknown.json()).toEqual(await known.json());
+    // Nor does sign-in: an unknown email is refused like a wrong password.
+    const noAccount = await request.post(`${API}/api/v2/auth/login`, { data: { identifier: "nobody-e2e@example.com", password: "Wrong-password-1" } });
+    const wrongPassword = await request.post(`${API}/api/v2/auth/login`, { data: { identifier: seed().users.user.email, password: "Wrong-password-1" } });
+    expect(noAccount.status()).toBe(wrongPassword.status());
+    expect(await noAccount.json()).toEqual(await wrongPassword.json());
   });
 
   test("privacy and admin: settings, my data, the audit log, webhooks, backups", async ({ request }) => {

frontend/package-lock.json

@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 {
   "name": "hope-events-frontend",
-  "version": "1.51.16",
+  "version": "1.51.17",
   "lockfileVersion": 3,
   "requires": true,
   "packages": {
     "": {
       "name": "hope-events-frontend",
-      "version": "1.51.16",
+      "version": "1.51.17",
       "dependencies": {
         "@dnd-kit/core": "^6.3.1",
         "@hookform/resolvers": "^5.2.1",

frontend/package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "hope-events-frontend",
-  "version": "1.51.16",
+  "version": "1.51.17",
   "private": true,
   "scripts": {
     "dev": "next dev",

frontend/src/lib/api-v2/openapi.json

@@ -29239,7 +29239,7 @@
           "Accounts"
         ],
         "summary": "Email me a link to reset my password",
-        "description": "NOT_FOUND when no account has that email (as v1 does).\n\n**Who:** Anyone.",
+        "description": "Always the same answer, so it doesn't say whether an account has that email. Rate-limited like sign-in.\n\n**Who:** Anyone.",
         "operationId": "postAuthPasswordForgot",
         "parameters": [],
         "requestBody": {

frontend/src/lib/api-v2/schema.d.ts

@@ -4509,7 +4509,7 @@ export interface paths {
         put?: never;
         /**
          * Email me a link to reset my password
-         * @description NOT_FOUND when no account has that email (as v1 does).
+         * @description Always the same answer, so it doesn't say whether an account has that email. Rate-limited like sign-in.
          *
          *     **Who:** Anyone.
          */

package-lock.json

@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 {
   "name": "hope-events",
-  "version": "1.51.16",
+  "version": "1.51.17",
   "lockfileVersion": 3,
   "requires": true,
   "packages": {
     "": {
       "name": "hope-events",
-      "version": "1.51.16",
+      "version": "1.51.17",
       "license": "ISC",
       "devDependencies": {
         "@axe-core/playwright": "^4.14.0",

package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "hope-events",
-  "version": "1.51.16",
+  "version": "1.51.17",
   "main": "index.js",
   "scripts": {
     "dev:backend": "cd backend && npm run dev",