CVE-2026-105039 in station-middleware
Summary
by MITRE • 10/16/2026
EnergizeLab station-middleware (NestJS) Docker images 1.6.5 through 1.8.2 do not check user roles on administrative APIs. Any authenticated low-privilege user can retrieve AI provider keys and change configuration and object-store contents.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/16/2026
The vulnerability identified in EnergizeLab station-middleware versions 1.6.5 through 1.8.2 represents a critical failure in access control mechanisms within the application's administrative interface. This middleware, built on the NestJS framework and distributed via Docker images, is designed to manage complex operational tasks including AI provider integration and object storage management. The core technical flaw lies in the absence of proper role-based access control checks for specific API endpoints designated as administrative. While the authentication layer successfully verifies that a user has valid credentials, it fails to validate whether those credentials belong to an account with sufficient privileges to execute sensitive operations. This oversight allows any authenticated user, regardless of their assigned role or permission level, to interact with these protected endpoints as if they were system administrators.
From a technical perspective, this flaw constitutes an Insecure Direct Object Reference combined with Broken Access Control vulnerabilities. The application logic assumes that the presence of a valid session token is sufficient authorization for all actions performed within the middleware context. It does not cross-reference the user's role attributes against the required permissions for each API route. Consequently, low-privilege users can bypass security boundaries intended to isolate administrative functions from standard operational tasks. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it exploits the trust placed in authentication mechanisms without enforcing proper authorization policies, a common pitfall in rapidly developed microservices architectures where middleware components may lack rigorous security auditing during initial deployment phases.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe due to the nature of the exposed functionalities. An attacker with low-privilege access can retrieve AI provider keys, which are sensitive credentials used to authenticate requests to external artificial intelligence services such as language model providers or image generation APIs. The exposure of these keys allows for unauthorized consumption of paid API resources, potentially leading to significant financial loss and abuse of service quotas. Furthermore, the ability to change configuration settings enables an attacker to alter system behavior, disable security controls, or redirect data flows. Additionally, the capability to modify object-store contents means that critical application data, user files, or backup archives can be tampered with, deleted, or replaced with malicious payloads. This compromises not only confidentiality and integrity but also availability if essential resources are corrupted or removed.
This vulnerability aligns closely with CWE-269 Improper Privilege Management and CWE-862 Missing Authorization in the Common Weakness Enumeration database. In terms of offensive security frameworks, it maps to MITRE ATT&CK technique T1078 Valid Accounts, where an attacker uses legitimate credentials to gain unauthorized access to resources, specifically leveraging privilege escalation through broken authorization logic rather than exploiting a software bug in the authentication process itself. The exploitation path is straightforward and does not require complex payload construction or zero-day exploits, making it highly likely to be automated by threat actors scanning for vulnerable instances of this middleware.
To mitigate this risk, immediate action must be taken to upgrade the EnergizeLab station-middleware Docker images to a version that includes proper role-based access control checks on all administrative APIs. If upgrading is not immediately feasible, administrators should implement network-level restrictions such as firewall rules or reverse proxy configurations to limit access to these specific endpoints exclusively from trusted internal networks or authorized IP addresses. Additionally, implementing strict input validation and ensuring that the application framework enforces middleware guards for authorization before route execution can provide a temporary layer of defense. It is also critical to rotate all exposed AI provider keys immediately upon confirmation of potential compromise, as static credentials are likely already in possession of attackers who have exploited this flaw. Regular security audits focusing on access control logic and automated testing with tools that simulate privilege escalation attempts should be integrated into the development lifecycle to prevent similar oversights in future releases.