CVE-2026-42016 in Artifactory
Summary
by MITRE • 07/27/2026
JFrog Artifactory (Self Hosted) versions before 7.133.11 are vulnerable to a privilege escalation attack due to a validation check of the token signature/issuer and not the token’s scope.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/27/2026
JFrog Artifactory self-hosted installations prior to version 7.133.11 contain a critical privilege escalation vulnerability stemming from inadequate token validation mechanisms. This flaw exists within the authentication and authorization framework where the system fails to properly verify token scopes during the validation process, instead relying primarily on signature and issuer checks alone. The vulnerability creates a significant security gap that allows authenticated users to potentially escalate their privileges and access resources beyond their intended permissions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability resides in the token processing logic where the system validates incoming tokens by examining their cryptographic signatures and issuer information but neglects to properly enforce scope-based access controls. This design flaw enables attackers to manipulate or forge tokens that, while appearing legitimate from a signature perspective, contain expanded scope permissions that should not be granted to the requesting user. The validation process essentially performs a superficial check that does not adequately verify whether the token's intended access levels align with the user's actual authorization boundaries.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access scenarios as it fundamentally undermines the principle of least privilege within the Artifactory environment. An attacker who gains access to a valid token could potentially leverage this weakness to escalate their privileges and gain access to sensitive repositories, administrative functions, or other protected resources within the JFrog Artifactory ecosystem. This vulnerability affects organizations that rely on token-based authentication for securing their artifact management systems and could lead to data breaches, unauthorized code deployments, or complete system compromise depending on the scope of access granted.
Security professionals should immediately implement mitigation strategies including upgrading to JFrog Artifactory version 7.133.11 or later which contains the necessary fixes for this privilege escalation vulnerability. Organizations should also conduct comprehensive audits of their token usage patterns and implement additional monitoring controls to detect anomalous access attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 which addresses improper access control, and represents a specific implementation weakness in access control enforcement that could be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and privilege escalation techniques.
Additional defensive measures include implementing stricter token lifecycle management policies, establishing more robust audit logging for authentication events, and ensuring that all token validation processes properly enforce scope-based access controls. Organizations should also consider implementing multi-factor authentication mechanisms and regular security assessments of their artifact repositories to identify similar implementation flaws in other components of their software supply chain infrastructure. The fix implemented by JFrog addresses the core validation logic to ensure that token scopes are properly verified against user permissions before granting access rights, thereby restoring proper authorization controls within the system.