CVE-2026-40172 json
authentik: Privilege Escalation via User PATCH: Superuser Group Assignment Bypasses enable_group_superuser
published 2026-05-22 5 mo ago modified 2026-07-23 3 mo ago also BIT-authentik-2026-40172 , EUVD-2026-31489 , GHSA-h6x7-hjjc-wjc9
- cvss
- 8.1
- version 3.1, CNA
- cisa kev
- Not listed
- not in CISA's catalog
- epss
- 0.5%
- EPSS 0.5% chance of exploitation in 30 days, percentile 46%
- public exploits
- 0
- none known
Summary
authentik is an open-source identity provider. In versions prior to 2025.12.5 and 2026.2.0-rc1 through 2026.2.2, the PATCH /api/v3/core/users/{pk}/ API allows a caller with change_user on a target user to assign arbitrary groups through UserSerializer, including groups with is_superuser=True, without requiring enable_group_superuser, leading to privilege escalation. This bypasses the stricter permission model enforced in group-management paths and enables delegated user-management permissions to escalate target users to administrator-equivalent privilege. Users with permissions to update groups or permissions to update users are able to add themselves or other users they have permissions on to users which have superuser permissions. This issue has been fixed in versions 22025.12.5 and 2026.2.3.
Patch / fix
- bitnami authentik 2025.12.5, 2026.2.3
- goauthentik authentik 2025.12.5, 2026.2.3
CISA SSVC
- Exploitation
- none
- Automatable
- no
- Technical impact
- partial
- Assessed
- 5 mo ago
Exploit prediction
0.55% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 46% of all scored CVEs (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-08).
CVSS scores
| assigned by | version | score | vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| CNA | 3.1 | 8.1 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H |
| OSV | 3.1 | 8.1 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H |
Affected packages
| ecosystem | package | affected | fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| bitnami | authentik | <2025.12.5 >=2026.2.0, <2026.2.3 |
2025.12.5 2026.2.3 |
Affected products
- goauthentik authentik
Classification
- Weakness
-
- CWE-269 Improper Privilege Management
References
Sources
- CVE List CVE-2026-40172
- NVD CVE-2026-40172
- OSV BIT-authentik-2026-40172
Fencer Vulns keeps one entry per vulnerability: the CVE id wins, then GHSA, and records that alias each other are merged, except that two CVEs always keep separate entries. The same data is available as JSON.
CPEs and fixed versions use Anchore's correction of NVD's data: Added CPE configurations because not yet analyzed by NVD.