CVE-2026-59164 in Nora
Summary
by MITRE • 10/28/2026
NORA is a self-hosted artifact registry and pull-through cache. Prior to 0.9.5, `nora-registry` authenticates the token-management UI but fails to require administrator authorization. `auth_middleware()` protects `/ui/tokens` and `/api/ui/tokens`, but state-changing requests are checked only with `role.can_write()`, not `role.can_admin()`. `tokens_page()` and `tokens_list()` call `store.list_all_tokens()`, exposing IDs and metadata across all users, while `tokens_revoke()` calls `store.revoke_token` using the supplied token ID without an ownership or admin check. A read bearer token can enumerate other users' token existence, owner, role, description, expiry and last-use metadata. A write bearer token or write-capable OIDC identity can additionally revoke arbitrary admin and service tokens, disrupting the registry and forcing credential recovery. Read-only identities cannot POST a revocation. This issue is fixed in version 0.9.5.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/28/2026
The vulnerability identified in NORA artifact registry versions prior to 0.9.5 represents a critical authorization failure within its token management subsystem, specifically affecting the authentication and access control mechanisms for administrative functions. While the application correctly implements an `auth_middleware` that requires valid bearer tokens or OIDC identities for accessing the `/ui/tokens` endpoint and associated API routes, it fails to enforce proper role-based access controls for state-changing operations. The core technical flaw lies in the logic governing these protected endpoints, where requests are validated solely against a write capability (`role.can_write()`) rather than requiring explicit administrative privileges (`role.can_admin()`). This misconfiguration allows any user with write permissions on the registry to execute actions that should be restricted exclusively to system administrators, effectively bypassing intended security boundaries.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe due to its dual nature involving both information disclosure and unauthorized state modification. Through functions such as `tokens_page` and `tokens_list`, which invoke `store.list_all_tokens()`, authenticated users with read access can enumerate the existence and metadata of tokens belonging to other users across the entire system. This includes sensitive details such as token identifiers, owner identities, assigned roles, descriptions, expiration dates, and last-use timestamps. Such enumeration facilitates reconnaissance for further attacks by revealing high-value targets like administrative or service accounts. Furthermore, the `tokens_revoke` function allows any user with write capabilities to revoke arbitrary tokens based on a supplied ID without verifying ownership or admin status. This means that an attacker possessing only standard write access can forcibly invalidate critical infrastructure credentials, including those of administrators and automated services.
The consequences of this unauthorized revocation are significant disruptions to registry operations and service availability. By revoking administrative or service tokens, attackers can effectively lock out legitimate users from managing the artifact repository and cause widespread downtime for dependent systems that rely on these credentials for continuous integration, deployment pipelines, or package distribution. This forces affected organizations into a reactive state requiring immediate credential recovery and rotation, thereby increasing operational overhead and potential exposure during the remediation process. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it leverages legitimate write permissions to achieve administrative-level disruption, making it difficult to detect through standard monitoring of privilege escalation attempts since the actions are performed by authorized users acting outside their intended scope.
To mitigate this risk, organizations must upgrade NORA to version 0.9.5 or later, where these authorization checks have been corrected to enforce strict separation between write and administrative privileges. Until an upgrade is feasible, administrators should implement compensating controls such as network-level access restrictions on the token management endpoints, ensuring that only trusted IP ranges can interact with them. Additionally, auditing logs for unusual patterns of token revocation or enumeration requests can help detect exploitation attempts in real-time. It is also advisable to review and minimize the number of users assigned write permissions, adhering to the principle of least privilege to reduce the attack surface available to potential adversaries.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-269, which describes Improper Privilege Management, as it involves a failure to enforce proper authorization levels for specific actions within an application. Furthermore, from a tactical perspective related to MITRE ATT&CK, this flaw facilitates both Discovery and Impact techniques. The ability to enumerate token metadata supports the T1087 Account Discovery technique by revealing user roles and identities, while the capacity to revoke arbitrary tokens directly contributes to the T1499 Endpoint Denial of Service or more broadly to Resource Hijacking and Disruption activities under the Impact category. Addressing this issue requires not only a software update but also a review of identity and access management policies to ensure that administrative functions are strictly isolated from standard operational permissions.