CVE-2026-85182 in vhr
Summary
by MITRE • 09/03/2026
vhr through commit 03abbd3 fails to verify that the account ID in PUT /hr/pass requests belongs to the authenticated caller. Authenticated attackers can change arbitrary account passwords by supplying a target account ID and that account's current password in the request body.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/03/2026
The vulnerability identified as vhr through commit 03abbd3 represents a critical Insecure Direct Object Reference (IDOR) flaw within the human resources module of the affected software system. This specific weakness arises from a failure in server-side authorization logic during password modification operations. When an authenticated user initiates a PUT request to the /hr/pass endpoint, the application accepts a target account identifier provided by the client but fails to validate whether this identifier corresponds to the identity associated with the active authentication session. Consequently, the system treats any validly formatted account ID submitted in the request body as legitimate for modification purposes, regardless of ownership or permission rights relative to the caller.
From a technical perspective, the root cause lies in the absence of proper access control checks within the handler responsible for processing password reset requests. The application relies on client-supplied data rather than server-side session context to determine which account is being modified. This design oversight allows an attacker who has obtained valid credentials for one user account to manipulate the state of another user's account simply by altering a single parameter in the HTTP request payload. By supplying the target victim's account ID alongside their current password, the attacker can successfully overwrite the victim's authentication secrets without possessing any elevated privileges or administrative rights within the application hierarchy.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe, as it directly compromises the integrity and confidentiality of user credentials across the platform. An authenticated adversary with minimal access levels can escalate their influence by taking control of high-privilege accounts such as administrators or HR managers. This capability facilitates unauthorized data exposure, potential financial fraud if payment details are linked to these accounts, and significant reputational damage for the organization hosting the service. Furthermore, because the attack requires only knowledge of a victim's current password, it lowers the barrier for exploitation compared to vulnerabilities that require complete account takeover from scratch.
This flaw aligns with CWE-284, which describes Improper Access Control where insufficient verification occurs before granting access to resources or performing actions on behalf of users. In terms of offensive security frameworks, this behavior is characteristic of ATT&CK technique T1078, specifically the Valid Accounts subcategory, as it leverages existing legitimate credentials to perform unauthorized administrative functions. The lack of object-level authorization checks exemplifies a common pitfall in web application development where developers assume that authentication alone provides sufficient protection against lateral movement within an application's data model.
To mitigate this vulnerability, immediate remediation efforts must focus on implementing robust server-side validation mechanisms. Developers should enforce strict ownership verification by comparing the account ID present in the request parameters against the user identifier stored securely in the authenticated session context. If these identifiers do not match exactly, the system must reject the request with an appropriate authorization failure response rather than proceeding with the password update operation. Additionally, adopting a principle of least privilege and ensuring that sensitive operations like credential changes are tied explicitly to the initiating user's identity will prevent such unauthorized modifications. Regular security audits focusing on access control logic and automated testing for IDOR vulnerabilities can further strengthen the application's resilience against similar attacks in the future.