CVE-2026-64852 in API Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 08/19/2026
Grav API Plugin is a RESTful API for Grav CMS that provides full headless access to your site's content. Prior to 1.0.8, the Grav API plugin intercepts the apiKeyGenerate and apiKeyRevoke admin tasks in user/plugins/api/api.php and authorizes the caller with only admin.login. A basic panel user can select another account from the route, create a persistent ApiKeyManager credential bound to that target, and inherit the target's API permissions, including api.super or administrative write access when present. This issue is fixed in version 1.0.8.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/19/2026
The Grav CMS ecosystem relies on plugins to extend its core functionality, with the Grav API Plugin serving as a critical component for enabling headless content management through RESTful endpoints. A significant security flaw was identified within versions prior to 1.0.8 of this plugin, specifically affecting the administrative tasks responsible for generating and revoking API keys. The vulnerability stems from an insufficient authorization check during these sensitive operations. While the system correctly verifies that the caller possesses admin.login privileges, it fails to validate whether the user initiating the request is actually the owner of the target account or holds sufficient hierarchical permissions to manipulate credentials for other users. This oversight allows a basic panel user with minimal administrative login rights to bypass intended access controls by selecting an arbitrary account from the available routes and creating persistent ApiKeyManager credentials bound to that target identity.
This authorization flaw effectively enables privilege escalation, allowing lower-privileged users to inherit the API permissions of higher-privileged accounts or other targeted users. If the target account possesses elevated privileges such as api.super status or administrative write access, the attacker gains full control over those capabilities through the newly generated API key. This undermines the principle of least privilege and compromises the integrity of user isolation within the CMS environment. The operational impact is severe, as an authenticated but low-privileged user can silently establish backdoor access points that persist beyond their session, potentially leading to unauthorized content modification, data exfiltration, or further exploitation of headless API endpoints intended for trusted applications only.
From a classification perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-269, which denotes Improper Privilege Management, as the application fails to enforce proper access control levels during credential generation. It also relates to CWE-862, Missing Authorization, because the system does not verify that the user has explicit permission to perform actions on behalf of another entity. In terms of adversary tactics, this behavior corresponds to ATT&CK technique T1078, Valid Accounts, where attackers leverage legitimate credentials or create new ones with elevated privileges to maintain persistence and expand their foothold within the compromised environment. The ability to generate persistent API keys for other users facilitates long-term access that is difficult to detect through standard session monitoring alone.
To mitigate this risk, administrators must upgrade the Grav API Plugin to version 1.0.8 or later, where the authorization logic has been corrected to ensure that only appropriate roles can manage API keys for specific accounts. In addition to patching, organizations should enforce strict role-based access control policies within Grav CMS, ensuring that basic panel users do not have unnecessary administrative login privileges unless explicitly required. Regular auditing of generated API keys and monitoring for unusual patterns in RESTful API usage can help detect any potential exploitation attempts before they lead to significant compromise. Implementing multi-factor authentication for admin accounts further reduces the risk associated with credential-based attacks targeting these endpoints.