CVE-2026-38470 in GazellePW
Summary
by MITRE • 08/25/2026
A Broken access control vulnerability in the API user endpoint in GazellePW (GazellePosterWall) commit 86c4bedf727691b5a97af42a4864869d18446449 allows unprivileged, authenticated users to enable or disable arbitrary user accounts via the req=disable or req=enable action using a normal user-created API token.
If you want to get the best quality for vulnerability data then you always have to consider VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/26/2026
The identified vulnerability represents a critical failure in server-side access control mechanisms within the GazellePW application, specifically affecting its API user endpoint. This flaw allows authenticated users who possess standard, unprivileged credentials to manipulate the account status of other arbitrary users on the system. By exploiting this weakness, an attacker can utilize their own valid API token to send requests with specific action parameters, namely req=disable or req=enable, thereby forcing administrative-level changes without possessing the necessary privileges. This type of vulnerability is a classic example of Insecure Direct Object References combined with Broken Access Control, where the application fails to verify that the authenticated user has permission to perform actions on resources belonging to others.
From a technical perspective, the root cause lies in the insufficient validation of authorization claims associated with the API token. When an unprivileged user initiates a request to disable or enable another account, the backend logic likely checks only for the presence of a valid authentication token rather than verifying that the token's scope includes administrative rights or that the requester is authorized to modify the target resource. This lack of proper authorization checks enables privilege escalation through functional abuse, allowing low-level users to execute high-impact operations typically reserved for system administrators. The vulnerability affects both availability and integrity aspects of security by enabling denial-of-service conditions against specific user accounts or potentially facilitating further malicious activities if enabled accounts are compromised later.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it undermines the fundamental trust model of multi-user applications. Attackers can disrupt service continuity by disabling legitimate user accounts, leading to potential data loss or workflow interruptions for affected individuals. Furthermore, enabling disabled accounts could allow previously banned or suspended users to regain access, bypassing security controls designed to mitigate threats from known bad actors. This capability also facilitates lateral movement within the application ecosystem, as attackers might use enabled accounts to gather additional information or escalate privileges further if other vulnerabilities exist in conjunction with this one.
This issue aligns directly with CWE-269 Improper Privilege Management and CWE-862 Missing Authorization, which describe scenarios where an actor is able to perform actions without having the proper permissions. In terms of offensive security frameworks, this behavior corresponds to ATT&CK technique T1078 Valid Accounts, specifically the aspect of using legitimate credentials with insufficient privileges to achieve unauthorized outcomes through access control bypasses. The exploitation path relies on authenticated interaction, making it distinct from unauthenticated attacks but equally dangerous due to its potential for widespread disruption and administrative override via standard user interfaces.
To mitigate this vulnerability, developers must implement strict role-based access control checks at the API endpoint level before processing any state-changing requests such as enabling or disabling accounts. The server should verify that the authenticated principal possesses an administrator role or a specific permission scope required to modify other users' account statuses. Additionally, implementing input validation to ensure that the target user identifier matches the requester's identity for non-administrative actions can prevent cross-user manipulation. Regular security audits and penetration testing focusing on access control logic are recommended to identify similar flaws in other endpoints where privilege separation is critical.