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P4 Search EUVDEUVD-2026-102095

| CVE-2026-103509 HIGH
Insufficient Granularity of Access Control (CWE-1220)
2026-10-15 Perforce GHSA-m94h-8qfm-w394
8.5
CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: Perforce
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Authenticate as P4 Server administrator
  2. Exploit
    Query P4 Search configuration API
  3. Execution
    Receive stored credentials in cleartext
  4. Impact
    Reuse credentials to escalate privileges on connected systems

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V8 - Authorization Insufficient granularity of access control
Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires the attacker to already hold administrative privileges on the P4 Server connected to P4 Search; using that access they call the P4 Search configuration API, which discloses stored credentials in cleartext (CWE-1220). The limiting factor is the PR:H authentication requirement - this is not exploitable by anonymous or unprivileged users, so the realistic threat is a malicious or compromised administrator leveraging over-broad API disclosure to recover credentials and escalate beyond their intended scope. No special non-default configuration or user interaction is required; the disclosure occurs through the normal configuration API on affected versions 2026.4.2 and earlier.

Impact

This is a credible but privilege-gated issue rather than a mass-exploitation emergency. The vendor-supplied CVSS 4.0 vector (CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H, 8.5 High) shows a network-reachable, low-complexity attack with NO user interaction, but PR:H - the attacker must already hold administrative privileges on the connected P4 Server. The high score is driven by the subsequent-system impact (SC:H/SI:H/SA:H): leaked cleartext credentials enable privilege escalation beyond the admin's original scope, consistent with CWE-1220 (insufficient granularity of access control). No EPSS score, CISA KEV listing, or public POC is present in the supplied data, so exploitation probability signals are entirely absent - no public exploit identified at time of analysis. Net judgment: real and worth prioritizing for Perforce administrators because exploitation is trivial once admin access exists and yields credential theft/lateral escalation, but it is NOT a broad unauthenticated internet threat. The PR:H gate means the realistic threat model is a malicious or compromised lower-trust administrator escalating, not an anonymous remote attacker. Note a source discrepancy to verify with the vendor: the CPE and the 'P4 Helix Core' tag reference Helix Core, while the description and reference URL clearly identify the affected product as P4 Search (formerly Helix Search).

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An administrator on a connected P4 Server - or an attacker who has compromised such an admin account - queries the P4 Search configuration API, which returns stored credentials in cleartext. Those recovered credentials are then reused to access accounts or systems beyond the attacker's original authorization, achieving privilege escalation. No public exploit code is identified in the available data; exploitation requires only a low-complexity authenticated API call.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
No patch listed yet 0.2% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 15, 2026

Cleartext credential disclosure in P4 Search (formerly Helix Search) 2026.4.2 and earlier allows an authenticated administrator on the connected P4 Server to retrieve stored credentials through the product's configuration API, enabling privilege escalation beyond the administrator's intended scope. The defect is rooted in insufficient granularity of access control (CWE-1220): the API exposes secret material that administrators should not be able to read back, and the resulting credential exposure has cross-boundary confidentiality, integrity, and availability consequences per the assessed scope change (S:C). Exploitation is privilege-gated by the PR:H authentication requirement in the CVSS vector, so this is not reachable by anonymous or unprivileged users, and no public exploit code or confirmed active exploitation has been identified at time of analysis. A vendor patch is available in P4 Search 2026.4.3.

RemediationAI

Upgrade P4 Search to version 2026.4.3, which is the vendor-released fix for CVE-2026-103509; consult the Perforce advisory at https://portal.perforce.com/s/cve/a91Qi000003Gdi1IAC/credential-disclosure-in-p4-search-configuration-api for the authoritative upgrade guidance and any release-note caveats. Because exploitation requires administrative rights on the connected P4 Server, treat the fix as necessary but not sufficient: rotate every credential that P4 Search has ever stored or transmitted for P4 Server connectivity and any downstream systems reached with those secrets, since disclosure in cleartext means the values must be assumed compromised if a privileged account was ever misused. Compensating controls where immediate upgrade is not possible include restricting reachability of the P4 Search configuration API to a tightly scoped management network (reduces exposure but does not remove the disclosure once an attacker is inside that segment), reducing and auditing the population of P4 Server administrators so that over-broad accounts cannot convert their existing rights into credential recovery (a governance control with no immediate technical enforcement), and monitoring configuration API calls for anomalous or bulk retrieval patterns (detective only, with no prevention). None of these workarounds eliminates the underlying over-broad disclosure in versions 2026.4.2 and earlier, so patching to 2026.4.3 remains the primary remediation.

Affected VersionsENISA

P4 (Helix Core) 0 ≤2026.4.3

Affected Packages

euvd p4_helix_core no fix

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

P4 Search, formerly branded Helix Search, is the search and indexing service layered on top of Perforce Helix Core (P4 Server); it must store connection credentials so it can authenticate to the P4 Server it indexes. The vulnerability is classified as CWE-1220 (Insufficient Granularity of Access Control): the configuration API applies coarse privilege checks that map P4 Server administrative rights onto read access to secret material, rather than enforcing a distinct, least-privilege authorization boundary around credential values. As a result, a caller holding administrative privileges on the connected P4 Server can invoke the normal configuration API and receive stored credentials in cleartext rather than masked, hashed, or omitted values. Both the CVSS 4.0 vector (VC:H, SC:H/SI:H/SA:H) and the independent CVSS 3.1 assessment (AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H) describe a network-reachable, low-complexity attack with no user interaction, but one that is gated behind high privileges and that escalates beyond the vulnerable component because the recovered credentials are reusable against other systems. The CPE feed lists the affected technology as Perforce Helix Core (cpe:2.3:a:perforce:p4_(helix_core)), reflecting that P4 Search is distributed and versioned alongside the Helix Core product line, while the actual vulnerable component is the P4 Search configuration API.

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Severity by source

Vendor (Perforce) PRIMARY 8.5 HIGH
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H
vuln.today AI 9.1 CRITICAL

Admin on P4 Server is required (PR:H) over a low-complexity network API (AV:N/AC:L); leaked credentials escalate beyond the component, so scope changes (S:C) with full impact on connected systems.

3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H

Primary rating from Vendor (Perforce).

CVSS VectorVendor: Perforce

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Attack Requirements
None
Privileges Required
High
User Interaction
None
Vulnerable system: Confidentiality
High
Vulnerable system: Integrity
None
Vulnerable system: Availability
None
Subsequent system: Confidentiality
High
Subsequent system: Integrity
High
Subsequent system: Availability
High

DescriptionCVE.org

P4 Search (formerly Helix Search) returns stored credentials in cleartext through its configuration API to users with administrative privileges on the connected P4 Server, allowing privilege escalation. This affects 2026.4.2 and earlier and is fixed in 2026.4.3.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

Perforce P4 Search (formerly Helix Search) versions 2026.4.2 and earlier can return stored secret material to a P4 Server administrator through its configuration API, allowing that administrator to obtain credentials outside the scope of their assigned role. This matters because the exposure crosses trust boundaries: credentials readable through the product can extend a single administrator's reach into systems and data they were never intended to control, undermining segregation-of-duties controls that leadership relies on. Any organization running an affected version with multiple administrative roles or shared P4 infrastructure should treat its current access-control boundaries as unverified until remediated.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.2%
Top 87% exploitable
Prevalence
Medium
Perforce Helix is common in game/enterprise dev; P4 Search is optional add-on
Data Quality
5 sources
Confidence: Medium

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.2%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
No
Human Impact
High
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

42
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +42
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Privilege escalation occurs when an attacker leverages flaws in access control mechanisms to gain permissions beyond what they were originally granted.

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