CVE-2026-101006 in Frappe
Summary
by MITRE • 09/28/2026
A flaw has been found in Frappe HR up to 16.15.0. This vulnerability affects the function get_expense_claims/get_shift_requests/get_attendance_requests of the file hrms/api/__init__.py of the component Permission Validation. This manipulation of the argument employee causes incorrect authorization. Remote exploitation of the attack is possible. The vendor replied: "This issue has already been reported by another individual, and based on that, we have fixed it."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/28/2026
The vulnerability identified in Frappe HR versions up to 16.15.0 represents a critical failure in access control mechanisms within the application's backend API layer. Specifically, the flaw resides in the permission validation logic governing three distinct endpoints: get_expense_claims, get_shift_requests, and get_attendance requests. These functions are located in the hrms/api/_init_.py file and serve as entry points for retrieving sensitive employee data related to financial reimbursements, work schedules, and attendance records. The core technical deficiency is an improper authorization check that fails to adequately validate the relationship between the authenticated user's identity and the target resource identifier passed via the employee argument. This architectural weakness allows an attacker to manipulate this input parameter to access information belonging to other employees within the system, effectively bypassing intended security boundaries.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability is classified as Insecure Direct Object Reference (IDOR), which corresponds to CWE-639 in the Common Weakness Enumeration standard. The root cause lies in the server-side processing of the employee parameter without sufficient verification that the requesting user has administrative privileges or ownership rights over the specified resource. Instead of checking if the current session's user ID matches the target employee ID, or verifying role-based access controls such as HR manager status, the application trusts the client-supplied value directly. This lack of server-side validation enables horizontal privilege escalation, where a lower-privileged user can escalate their capabilities to view data restricted to peers or superiors within the organizational hierarchy.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe due to its potential for remote exploitation without authentication prerequisites in some configurations, although typically it requires valid credentials with at least basic access rights. An attacker who obtains valid login credentials for any employee account can exploit this flaw to harvest sensitive personal identifiable information (PII) from the HR database. This includes detailed attendance logs which may reveal work patterns and locations, shift schedules that could be used for social engineering or physical security bypasses, and expense claims containing financial data such as bank details, receipt images, and reimbursement amounts. The aggregation of this data poses significant risks including identity theft, corporate espionage, and potential blackmail scenarios against employees or the organization itself.
This vulnerability aligns with several tactics in the MITRE ATT&CK framework for enterprise systems. It primarily falls under the Initial Access tactic via Valid Accounts if exploitation requires login credentials, but more critically it maps to Privilege Escalation through Horizontal Privilege Escalation techniques. The data exfiltration aspect corresponds to Data from Information Repositories and potentially Exfiltration Over C2 Channels if combined with other malware components. The ability to read sensitive HR records without proper authorization also touches upon Discovery tactics, allowing attackers to map out the organizational structure and identify high-value targets within the company based on their roles and financial activities revealed through expense claims.
Mitigation strategies must address both immediate remediation and long-term architectural improvements. The vendor has acknowledged the issue and released a fix in versions subsequent to 16.15.0, making an immediate upgrade to the patched version the primary recommendation for administrators. Beyond updating software, organizations should implement strict server-side validation that verifies user permissions against resource ownership before processing any request involving employee-specific data. Implementing role-based access control (RBAC) ensures that only users with explicit HR or administrative roles can query sensitive records regardless of input parameters. Additionally, adopting the principle of least privilege for API endpoints and enforcing unique identifier checks rather than relying on client-supplied IDs will prevent similar IDOR vulnerabilities in future development cycles. Regular security audits focusing on access control logic are essential to maintain robust protection against such authorization bypasses.