CVE-2026-96461 in Amelia Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 10/09/2026
Missing Authorization vulnerability in TMS Amelia ameliabooking allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels.This issue affects Amelia: from n/a through 2.4.10.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/09/2026
The identified security flaw within the Travel Management System known as Amelia, specifically affecting versions ranging from non-existent initial releases up to version 2.4.10, represents a critical failure in access control mechanisms. This vulnerability is classified under the category of Missing Authorization, which corresponds directly to CWE-862: Missing Authorization. In secure software architecture, authorization checks are essential for ensuring that an authenticated user can only perform actions and access resources appropriate to their assigned role or privilege level. The presence of this flaw indicates that the application fails to adequately verify whether a requesting entity has the necessary permissions before executing sensitive operations or revealing protected data. This type of defect is often referred to as insecure direct object references or broken access control, where the system relies on client-side controls or lacks server-side validation entirely, allowing attackers to bypass intended restrictions by manipulating request parameters such as user IDs, session tokens, or resource identifiers.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability allows an attacker with valid credentials for a lower-privileged account, or potentially even unauthenticated users depending on the specific implementation gaps, to exploit incorrectly configured access control security levels. By altering HTTP requests to target administrative endpoints or sensitive data structures that should be restricted, the attacker can escalate privileges beyond their authorized scope. This could involve accessing other users' booking details, modifying travel itineraries without authorization, deleting records, or gaining insight into system configurations. The root cause typically lies in the absence of robust server-side checks for every action performed by a user. Instead of verifying permissions at each step of the application logic, the developers may have assumed that frontend restrictions were sufficient or failed to implement role-based access control (RBAC) correctly across all API endpoints and administrative panels.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe, as it compromises the confidentiality, integrity, and potentially the availability of data managed by the travel management system. Attackers can exfiltrate sensitive customer information including personal identifiable information, payment details, and travel preferences, leading to significant privacy violations and regulatory non-compliance with standards such as GDPR or PCI DSS depending on the data handled. Furthermore, the ability to modify bookings introduces risks of financial fraud, operational disruption for travel agencies, and reputational damage. In a broader security context, this flaw aligns with MITRE ATT&CK technique T1078: Valid Accounts, where attackers leverage legitimate credentials to move laterally or escalate privileges within an environment. It also relates to T1546.003: Event Triggered Execution if the vulnerability allows for persistent backdoors through administrative changes, though primarily it serves as a pathway for privilege escalation and data theft.
To mitigate this risk, immediate action is required by upgrading the Amelia installation to a version later than 2.4.10 where these access control issues have been addressed by the vendor. For organizations unable to upgrade immediately due to compatibility constraints, implementing compensating controls is essential. This includes deploying a Web Application Firewall configured with rulesets that detect and block anomalous requests targeting administrative endpoints or attempting parameter manipulation indicative of privilege escalation attacks. Additionally, security teams should conduct thorough code reviews focusing on all API endpoints and admin interfaces to ensure that every action requires explicit verification of user roles against the requested resource. Enforcing strict session management policies, such as short-lived tokens and secure cookie attributes, can also reduce the window of opportunity for exploitation. Regular penetration testing focused on broken access control scenarios is recommended to validate that these mitigations are effective and to identify any residual gaps in the authorization logic before further exposure occurs.