CVE-2026-17628 in Langflow OSS
Summary
by MITRE • 09/14/2026
IBM Langflow OSS 1.0.0 through 1.10.2 could allow a remote authenticated attacker to change the password of an account due to improper authentication.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/14/2026
The vulnerability identified in IBM Langflow versions 1.0.0 through 1.10.2 represents a critical failure in access control mechanisms, specifically classified under CWE-287: Improper Authentication. This flaw allows a remote authenticated attacker to alter the password of an existing user account without possessing the correct current credentials for that specific target account. While the attacker must first authenticate themselves into the system, indicating they have valid credentials for at least one account, the application fails to properly validate whether this authenticated session has sufficient privileges or ownership rights to modify another user's security attributes. This discrepancy between authentication and authorization is a classic example of an Insecure Direct Object Reference (IDOR) scenario where the server trusts client-supplied identifiers without verifying that the requesting entity owns those resources.
From a technical perspective, the root cause likely resides in how the application handles password update requests within its API or web interface logic. When a user initiates a password change, the backend service probably accepts parameters such as the target username and new password but fails to enforce strict checks ensuring that the authenticated session corresponds directly to the account being modified. In many modern frameworks, this oversight can occur if developers rely on implicit trust of session tokens or fail to implement explicit ownership verification before executing database write operations for sensitive fields like passwords. The absence of these safeguards means that an attacker who has compromised one low-privilege account can leverage it as a foothold to escalate their influence by taking over higher-privileged accounts, thereby bypassing the intended security boundaries of the application.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted. By changing passwords for other accounts, particularly those with administrative or elevated privileges, an attacker gains unauthorized access to sensitive data and system functionalities that were previously protected. This can lead to a complete compromise of the Langflow environment, which is often used for building and deploying large language model applications containing proprietary logic, training data, or integration keys. Furthermore, this capability facilitates lateral movement within an organization's network if these accounts are shared across multiple services. The attacker could use compromised credentials to exfiltrate confidential information, inject malicious code into AI workflows, or disrupt business operations by locking out legitimate users through repeated password changes and account lockouts.
To mitigate this risk, immediate action is required to upgrade IBM Langflow to a version later than 1.10.2 where these authentication flaws have been addressed. In the interim, if upgrading is not immediately feasible, organizations should implement compensating controls such as strict input validation on all user-facing endpoints that modify account details. It is crucial to enforce server-side checks that verify the authenticated user's identity matches the target resource identifier before processing any password change requests. Additionally, implementing multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts can reduce the impact of credential theft, while comprehensive logging and monitoring should be enabled to detect unusual patterns in login attempts or profile modifications that may indicate exploitation activity. Regular security audits focusing on access control logic are also recommended to identify similar weaknesses across other modules within the application ecosystem aligned with MITRE ATT&CK techniques related to account manipulation and privilege escalation.