LinkAce: IDOR in Update Policies Allows Any Authenticated User to Overwrite Other Users' Links, Lists, Tags, and Notes

published 2026-05-28 5 mo ago modified 2026-07-21 3 mo ago also EUVD-2026-33056

cvss: 7.1; version 4.0, CNA
cisa kev: Not listed; not in CISA's catalog
epss: 0.2%; EPSS 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days, percentile 13%
public exploits: 0; none known

LinkAce is a self-hosted archive to collect website links. Prior to 2.5.6, LinkAce contains an Insecure Direct Object Reference vulnerability in the authorization policy layer that allows any authenticated user to modify resources owned by other users. The affected resource types are links, lists, tags, and notes. Both the web UI and the REST API are vulnerable. The root cause is in the update() methods of all four model policies: LinkPolicy, LinkListPolicy, TagPolicy, and NotePolicy. Each delegates to an access-check method (e.g., userCanAccessLink()) that returns true for any resource with non-private visibility, regardless of who owns it. This means any registered user can edit any public or internal resource across the entire instance. The delete() methods in the same policy files correctly require ownership via $link->user->is($user), which confirms that update was intended to be owner-only. The same flaw exists in the API layer through AuthorizesUserApiActions::userCanUpdateModel(), which mirrors the broken visibility-only check instead of the ownership check used by userCanDeleteModel(). Bulk edit operations via BulkEditController are also affected. This vulnerability is fixed in 2.5.6.

CISA SSVC

Exploitation: Proof of concept is public
Automatable: no
Technical impact: partial
Assessed: 5 mo ago (2026-05-29)

Exploit prediction

0.22% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 13% of all scored CVEs (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-08).

Exploits and checks

github.com https://github.com/Kovah/LinkAce/security/advisories/GHSA-cj8f-h888-m57m referenced PoC, tagged "exploit" by a source, unverified

CVSS scores

assigned by	version	score	vector
CNA	4.0	7.1	CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
CNA	4.0	7.1	CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

Affected products

Kovah LinkAce

Classification

Weakness

CWE-639 Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key

References

github.com /Kovah/LinkAce/security/advisories/GHSA-cj8f-h888-m57m
exploit

Sources

CVE List CVE-2026-45342
NVD CVE-2026-45342

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Summary