CVE-2026-103752 in Authorizer Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 10/01/2026
Unauthenticated Privilege Escalation in Authorizer <= 3.15.3 versions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/01/2026
The vulnerability identified within Authorizer software versions up to and including 3.15.3 represents a critical unauthenticated privilege escalation flaw that fundamentally compromises the integrity of access control mechanisms. This defect allows an attacker, without requiring any valid credentials or prior authentication, to elevate their privileges from a standard user role to administrative levels. The core technical issue typically stems from improper validation of authorization claims within the application's request handling logic. Specifically, the system fails to adequately verify whether the requesting entity possesses the necessary permissions for specific administrative actions before executing them. This oversight often involves manipulating HTTP parameters or API payloads where the server trusts client-supplied role identifiers without cross-referencing them against a secure backend session state or database record of actual user privileges. By exploiting this logic error, an attacker can bypass authentication gates entirely and execute commands that are reserved for system administrators, such as modifying configuration files, creating new admin accounts, or accessing sensitive data repositories.
From the perspective of industry standards, this vulnerability aligns closely with CWE-269, which classifies Improper Privilege Management, specifically highlighting cases where an actor obtains privileges they should not have access to. Furthermore, it maps directly to MITRE ATT&CK technique T1078, Valid Accounts, although in this specific context of unauthenticated escalation, the attacker effectively forges or manipulates account attributes to mimic a valid high-privilege entity without possessing legitimate credentials initially. The exploitation vector is particularly dangerous because it does not require social engineering or complex pre-authentication reconnaissance steps beyond identifying the vulnerable endpoint. Once an attacker identifies the entry point, they can automate the escalation process using standard web scraping tools or custom scripts that send crafted requests to trigger the privilege elevation logic flaw.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted. Immediate consequences include a complete loss of confidentiality for sensitive data stored within the application's database, as administrative access typically grants read permissions to all user records, financial information, or proprietary business logic. Integrity is also compromised, allowing attackers to alter system configurations, inject malicious code into web pages via cross-site scripting if admin panels are accessible, or delete critical logs to cover their tracks. Availability risks arise if the attacker chooses to disrupt services by misconfiguring server settings or deleting essential data structures. In a broader organizational context, this vulnerability can serve as an initial foothold for more advanced attacks, such as lateral movement within a network if the compromised system has access to other internal resources, thereby escalating from a single application compromise to a full infrastructure breach.
Mitigation strategies must address both immediate remediation and long-term architectural improvements. The primary and most effective solution is to upgrade Authorizer to version 3.15.4 or later, where this specific privilege escalation logic has been patched by the vendor through stricter input validation and enhanced authorization checks on all administrative endpoints. For organizations unable to patch immediately due to operational constraints, temporary mitigations should include implementing strict network-level access controls such as firewall rules that restrict access to administrative interfaces only from trusted IP addresses or internal subnets. Additionally, deploying a Web Application Firewall with updated rule sets can help detect and block requests exhibiting patterns consistent with privilege escalation attempts, such as unusual parameter manipulation in admin URLs. It is also critical to enforce the principle of least privilege across all system components and ensure that session management mechanisms are robustly implemented to prevent token forgery or replay attacks that might facilitate similar vulnerabilities in other parts of the application stack.