Neo4j graphql up to 5.12.13/6.6.4/7.5.5 Authentication jwt improper authorization

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability identified as critical has been detected in Neo4j graphql up to 5.12.13/6.6.4/7.5.5. This affects an unknown function of the component Authentication. This manipulation of the argument jwt causes improper authorization. This vulnerability is tracked as CVE-2026-5423. The attack is possible to be carried out remotely. No exploit exists.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability was found in Neo4j graphql up to 5.12.13/6.6.4/7.5.5. It has been declared as critical. Affected by this vulnerability is some unknown functionality of the component Authentication. The manipulation of the argument jwt with an unknown input leads to a improper authorization vulnerability. The CWE definition for the vulnerability is CWE-285. The product does not perform or incorrectly performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action. As an impact it is known to affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The summary by CVE is:

@neo4j/graphql library versions prior to 7.5.6 fail to verify the authenticity of a client-supplied, pre-decoded JWT object passed through GraphQL subscription connectionParams. As a result, any unauthenticated remote client that can open a GraphQL-over-WebSocket connection can forge arbitrary JWT claims (e.g. sub, roles) in connectionParams.jwt and have them accepted as authenticated identity for the purposes of @authentication and @subscriptionsAuthorization directive evaluation. This allows a fully unauthenticated attacker to receive subscription events that should be restricted to specific authenticated roles/users. Upgrade the library to versions 7.5.6+ or 5.12.14+. v6 is end-of-life and will not receive a fix.

It is possible to read the advisory at neo4j.com. This vulnerability is known as CVE-2026-5423 since 04/02/2026. The exploitation appears to be easy. The attack can be launched remotely. The exploitation doesn't need any form of authentication. Technical details of the vulnerability are known, but there is no available exploit. The attack technique deployed by this issue is T1548.002 according to MITRE ATT&CK.

Upgrading to version 5.12.14 or 7.5.6 eliminates this vulnerability.

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Productinfo

Vendor

• Neo4j

Name

• graphql

Version

• 5.12.0
• 5.12.1
• 5.12.2
• 5.12.3
• 5.12.4
• 5.12.5
• 5.12.6
• 5.12.7
• 5.12.8
• 5.12.9
• 5.12.10
• 5.12.11
• 5.12.12
• 5.12.13
• 6.6.0
• 6.6.1
• 6.6.2
• 6.6.3
• 6.6.4
• 7.5.0
• 7.5.1
• 7.5.2
• 7.5.3
• 7.5.4
• 7.5.5

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