ApostropheCMS is an open-source Node.js content management system. Versions 4.28.0 and prior contain a timing side-channel vulnerability in the password reset endpoint (/api/v1/@apostrophecms/login/reset-request) that allows unauthenticated username and email enumeration. When a user is not found, the handler returns after a fixed 2-second artificial delay, but when a valid user is found, it performs a MongoDB update and SMTP email send with no equivalent delay normalization, producing measurably different response times. The endpoint also accepts both username and email via an $or query, and has no rate limiting as the existing checkLoginAttempts throttle only applies to the login flow. This enables automated enumeration of valid accounts for use in credential stuffing or targeted phishing. Only instances that have explicitly enabled the passwordReset option are affected, as it defaults to false. This issue has been fixed in version 4.29.0.

Affected: npm: apostrophe

## Summary

The password reset endpoint (`/api/v1/@apostrophecms/login/reset-request`) exhibits a measurable timing side channel that allows unauthenticated attackers to enumerate valid usernames and email addresses. When a user is not found, the handler returns after a fixed 2-second artificial delay, but when a valid user is found, it performs database writes and SMTP operations with no equivalent delay normalization, producing a distinguishable timing profile.

## Details

The `resetRequest` handler in `modules/@apostrophecms/login/index.js` attempts to obscure the user-not-found path with an artificial delay, but fails to normalize the timing of the user-found path:

**User not found — fixed 2000ms delay** (`index.js:309-314`): ```javascript if (!user) { await wait(); // wait = (t = 2000) => Promise.delay(t) self.apos.util.error( `Reset password request error - the user ${email} doesn\`t exist.` ); return; } ```

**User found — variable-duration DB + SMTP operations, no artificial delay** (`index.js:323-355`): ```javascript const reset = self.apos.util.generateId(); user.passwordReset = reset; user.passwordResetAt = new Date(); await self.apos.user.update(req, user, { permissions: false }); // ... URL construction ... await self.email(req, 'passwordResetEmail', { user, url: parsed.toString(), site }, { to: user.email, subject: req.t('apostrophe:passwordResetRequest', { site }) }); ```

The user-found path includes a MongoDB `update()` call and an S…