CVE-2026-85990 in Leantime
Summary
by MITRE • 10/13/2026
Leantime is an open source project management system. Prior to 3.10.0, for the provisionally grouped account-creation and plugin-management surfaces, Leantime's JSON-RPC dispatcher in app/Domain/Api/Controllers/Jsonrpc.php exposes public API service methods, while PermissionEnforcer::enforce allows methods that lack a RequiresPermission attribute. A low-privilege authenticated user with an ordinary browser session can send the required X-Requested-With: XMLHttpRequest header and call leantime.rpc.api.api.createApiKeyWithProjects, which reaches Api::createApiKeyWithProjects, with an attacker-chosen role to create an interactive administrator account. The same missing per-method authorization exposes Plugins::installPlugin, Plugins::enablePlugin, Plugins::disablePlugin, and Plugins::removePlugin to ordinary authenticated users, permitting unauthorized plugin management. The complete provisionally grouped issue is fixed in version 3.10.0.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/13/2026
Leantime is an open-source project management system that relies on a JSON-RPC dispatcher located at app/Domain/Api/Controllers/Jsonrpc.php to handle API requests. A critical security flaw exists in versions prior to 3.10.0, where the permission enforcement mechanism fails to properly validate access controls for specific provisionally grouped account-creation and plugin-management surfaces. The core of this vulnerability lies in the PermissionEnforcer::enforce method, which allows execution of methods that lack a RequiresPermission attribute without performing adequate authorization checks. This architectural oversight creates a significant gap between intended security policies and actual runtime behavior, allowing authenticated users to bypass privilege restrictions through specific API endpoints.
The operational impact is severe for low-privilege authenticated users who possess an ordinary browser session. By sending the required X-Requested-With: XMLHttpRequest header, these attackers can invoke leantime.rpc.api.api.createApiKeyWithProjects. This call reaches Api::createApiKeyWithProjects and permits the attacker to specify an arbitrary role during account creation. Consequently, a standard user can escalate their privileges by creating a new interactive administrator account with full administrative rights. This unauthorized privilege escalation compromises the integrity of the entire system, as administrators typically have unrestricted access to sensitive project data, configuration settings, and other users' information.
In addition to credential-based attacks, the same missing per-method authorization exposes several plugin management functions to ordinary authenticated users. Specifically, Plugins::installPlugin, Plugins::enablePlugin, Plugins::disablePlugin, and Plugins::removePlugin are accessible without proper verification of administrative privileges. This allows attackers to install malicious plugins that could lead to remote code execution or data exfiltration, disable essential security features by removing protective plugins, or disrupt service availability through unauthorized plugin removal. The ability to manipulate the plugin ecosystem undermines the stability and security posture of the Leantime installation entirely.
This vulnerability is classified under CWE-269, which denotes Improper Privilege Management, as it involves a failure to enforce proper access control levels for specific actions. From an ATT&CK perspective, this maps directly to T1078 Valid Accounts, where attackers leverage legitimate credentials to gain unauthorized access and escalate privileges within the system environment. The flaw represents a classic case of insufficient input validation combined with broken object level authorization in API endpoints that should be restricted to high-privilege roles only.
The complete issue has been resolved in version 3.10.0, which implements stricter permission checks for all provisionally grouped surfaces. Organizations running Leantime must upgrade immediately to mitigate these risks. Until the update is applied, administrators should monitor API logs for unusual activity involving JSON-RPC endpoints and restrict network access to sensitive services where possible. Regular audits of user permissions and plugin installations are also recommended to detect any potential exploitation attempts that may have occurred prior to remediation.