CVE-2026-55242 in erpnext
Summary
by MITRE • 07/15/2026
ERPNext is a free and open source Enterprise Resource Planning tool. Prior to 15.111.0 and 16.22.0, an authenticated user with a standard operational role can trigger server-side template injection through a configuration field, resulting in unauthorized disclosure of data outside the user's normal permission scope. This issue is fixed in versions 15.111.0 and 16.22.0.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/15/2026
This vulnerability affects ERPNext, a widely-used open-source enterprise resource planning platform that serves organizations for managing business processes including finance, inventory, and human resources. The security flaw exists in versions prior to 15.111.0 and 16.22.0, representing a critical server-side template injection vulnerability that undermines the application's access control mechanisms.
The technical exploitation occurs through a configuration field that is susceptible to template injection attacks, allowing authenticated users with standard operational roles to manipulate the application's template processing engine. This particular flaw demonstrates how seemingly benign configuration parameters can become attack vectors when proper input validation and sanitization are absent. The vulnerability specifically targets the server-side rendering process where user-provided data is processed through template engines without adequate escaping or filtering mechanisms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure, as it enables unauthorized access to information that should remain restricted to specific user roles or permissions. An attacker with a standard operational account can leverage this flaw to bypass normal access controls and potentially retrieve sensitive data belonging to other users or departments within the organization. This represents a significant privilege escalation risk that could lead to comprehensive data breaches affecting financial records, customer information, employee details, and business-critical operational data.
Security researchers have classified this vulnerability according to CWE-74 as "Template Injection" which specifically addresses issues where untrusted data is incorporated into template code without proper sanitization. The attack pattern aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.008 for "Command and Scripting Interpreter: Python" as the exploitation often involves injecting malicious payloads that get executed within the Python-based template processing environment. Organizations using ERPNext versions prior to the patched releases face significant risk of data leakage and unauthorized information disclosure.
The remediation strategy requires immediate deployment of patches version 15.111.0 for the 15.x series and 16.22.0 for the 16.x series, which implement proper input validation and template escaping mechanisms. Organizations should conduct comprehensive security assessments to verify that all configuration fields properly sanitize user inputs before processing. Additional mitigations include implementing network-level restrictions on administrative functions, enabling multi-factor authentication for privileged accounts, and establishing monitoring for unusual configuration changes that might indicate exploitation attempts. Security teams should also review access control policies to ensure least-privilege principles are enforced and consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and prevent template injection attempts.