CVE-2026-50550 in Snipe-IT
Summary
by MITRE • 08/19/2026
Snipe-IT is an IT asset/license management system. Prior to 8.5.0, a user who can edit other users can reset a superadmin's two-factor authentication through app/Http/Controllers/Api/UsersController.php postTwoFactorReset(). The endpoint authorizes update access but does not enforce canEditAuthFields before clearing two_factor_secret and two_factor_enrolled. This issue is fixed in version 8.5.0.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/19/2026
The vulnerability identified in Snipe-IT prior to version 8.5.0 represents a critical authorization flaw within the application's API layer, specifically affecting the management of user authentication credentials. As an IT asset and license management system, Snipe-IT handles sensitive organizational data where access control integrity is paramount. The specific weakness resides in the postTwoFactorReset method located within the app/Http/Controllers/Api/UsersController.php file. This endpoint is designed to allow administrators or users with edit privileges to reset two-factor authentication settings for other accounts. However, the implementation fails to enforce a crucial authorization check known as canEditAuthFields before proceeding with the modification of security-critical attributes such as the two_factor_secret and two_factor_enrolled status fields.
From a technical perspective, this flaw constitutes an Insecure Direct Object Reference combined with Broken Access Control. The API endpoint correctly verifies that the requesting user has general edit permissions for other users but neglects to validate whether those same permissions extend to modifying authentication-related fields. This oversight allows any user possessing standard editing rights over other accounts to bypass security controls intended only for superadministrators or privileged roles responsible for managing multi-factor authentication configurations. By exploiting this logic gap, an attacker can clear the two_factor_secret and set two_factor_enrolled to false, effectively disabling two-factor authentication for high-privilege accounts including superadmins without their knowledge or consent.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe due to its direct implication on account takeover scenarios. Two-factor authentication serves as a primary defense against credential theft and unauthorized access. By stripping these protections from superadmin accounts, an attacker who has obtained valid credentials for any user with edit permissions can gain unrestricted administrative access to the entire Snipe-IT instance. This level of access typically grants control over all managed IT assets, license keys, and potentially sensitive organizational data stored within the system. The attack path is straightforward and does not require complex exploitation techniques beyond standard API interaction capabilities available to authenticated users with moderate privileges.
This vulnerability aligns closely with CWE-269 Improper Privilege Management and CWE-862 Missing Authorization in the Common Weakness Enumeration framework. In terms of offensive security mapping, it corresponds to MITRE ATT&CK technique T1078 Valid Accounts, specifically focusing on privilege escalation through misconfigured access controls within enterprise applications. The flaw highlights a common pattern where functional permissions are conflated with administrative or security management permissions, leading to unintended lateral movement and elevation of privileges within the application environment.
Mitigation for this issue is straightforward as it has been addressed in Snipe-IT version 8.5.0 and later releases. Organizations running affected versions must upgrade immediately to ensure that the canEditAuthFields check is properly enforced before any modifications are made to two-factor authentication settings. In addition to upgrading, administrators should review their user role configurations to adhere to the principle of least privilege, ensuring that users with edit capabilities do not possess unnecessary permissions over security-critical attributes unless explicitly required for their specific operational duties. Regular auditing of API endpoint authorization logic and implementing comprehensive unit tests covering edge cases in permission checks can further prevent similar vulnerabilities from being introduced during future development cycles.