CVE-2026-28374 in OSS
Summary
by MITRE • 05/13/2026
Editors could delete any annotation, even those they do not have read access to. The editor user cannot create or read the annotations.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/24/2026
This vulnerability represents a critical access control flaw that violates fundamental security principles of least privilege and access isolation. The issue stems from improper authorization checks within the annotation management system where editor users possess the ability to delete annotations without proper validation of their read permissions. This creates a scenario where users with limited access rights can manipulate content they should not be able to view, fundamentally undermining the security model. The vulnerability allows for potential data integrity breaches and information disclosure, as editors can remove annotations that contain sensitive information they should not have access to. From a cybersecurity perspective, this represents a privilege escalation vulnerability that can be exploited to circumvent access controls and potentially gain unauthorized insight into restricted content.
The technical implementation flaw manifests in the lack of proper access validation during deletion operations. When an editor attempts to delete an annotation, the system should verify not only that the user has deletion permissions but also that they have read access to the target annotation before allowing the operation. This failure to implement proper authorization checks creates an attack surface where malicious actors can exploit the system to remove annotations containing sensitive data. The vulnerability can be categorized under CWE-284 Access Control Flaws, specifically addressing insufficient access control mechanisms. This weakness enables unauthorized modification of content and can potentially be leveraged for data destruction or information hiding attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple access control violations to encompass potential data loss, integrity compromise, and audit trail manipulation. An editor user who deletes annotations they cannot read could inadvertently or deliberately remove critical information that other users need for reference or compliance purposes. This situation creates a scenario where legitimate users lose access to important data while unauthorized users gain the ability to manipulate content they should not be able to see. The vulnerability also impacts system auditability as deletion events occur without proper access validation, making it difficult to track who actually had access to deleted content. From an att&ck framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with techniques involving privilege escalation and data manipulation, potentially enabling adversaries to maintain persistence through content removal.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing comprehensive access control validation at all levels of the annotation system. The primary solution involves adding read permission checks before any deletion operation, ensuring that users cannot delete annotations unless they possess both deletion rights and read access to the target content. This requires implementing proper authorization frameworks that validate user permissions against the specific annotation being targeted. Organizations should also implement detailed logging of all annotation deletion activities, including user identities, target annotation IDs, and access level information. Additional controls should include regular access reviews, automated monitoring for unauthorized deletion patterns, and implementation of audit trails that maintain records of all annotation access and modification events. The system should enforce mandatory access controls that prevent any deletion operation from proceeding without explicit validation of both read and write permissions for the target content.