CVE-2026-65922 in Artifactory
Summary
by MITRE • 07/27/2026
An authorization weakness in JFrog Artifactory internal metadata handling could allow a user with limited repository access to write to restricted internal metadata areas under specific conditions. Successful abuse is limited to integrity and availability impact at a low level; confidentiality is not affected.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/27/2026
This vulnerability represents an authorization weakness within JFrog Artifactory's internal metadata handling mechanisms that creates a potential pathway for privilege escalation through improper access control implementation. The flaw manifests when users with limited repository access can manipulate restricted internal metadata areas under specific operational conditions, effectively bypassing intended security boundaries that should protect critical system components from unauthorized modification. This authorization weakness operates at the application level within Artifactory's internal architecture and demonstrates a failure in proper access validation controls that should prevent users from writing to protected metadata regions regardless of their repository permissions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of user privileges during internal metadata operations, where the system fails to properly verify whether a requesting user possesses adequate authorization levels before allowing write operations to restricted areas. This type of flaw typically aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization in software systems, and represents a failure in the principle of least privilege enforcement. The vulnerability's impact is confined to integrity and availability domains as users cannot access confidential data through this vector, but they can potentially corrupt internal system metadata or disrupt service operations by modifying restricted areas that govern Artifactory's internal state management.
The operational implications of this vulnerability are significant within enterprise environments where Artifactory serves as a critical artifact repository for software development and deployment pipelines. Attackers could potentially manipulate internal metadata to cause service disruptions, corrupt repository integrity, or create denial of service conditions that affect legitimate users. The low-level impact classification suggests that while the vulnerability is not catastrophic in scope, it provides a foothold for further exploitation and represents a foundational security weakness that could be leveraged by adversaries to escalate privileges or compromise system reliability. This type of authorization bypass aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts usage and privilege escalation through legitimate access.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing robust access control validation at all internal metadata operations, ensuring that every write request undergoes comprehensive authorization checks regardless of the user's repository-level permissions. Organizations should conduct thorough privilege reviews and implement proper segregation of duties within their Artifactory configurations to minimize the attack surface. Regular security assessments of internal system components and monitoring for unauthorized metadata modifications should be implemented as part of baseline security controls. The vulnerability highlights the critical importance of securing internal system interfaces that are often overlooked in favor of external-facing security measures, emphasizing that all access points within enterprise systems require proper authorization validation to prevent unauthorized modification of critical infrastructure components.