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LeafWiki EUVDEUVD-2026-64176

| CVE-2026-53527 HIGH
Improper Privilege Management (CWE-269)
2026-08-21 GitHub_M
8.8
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: GitHub_M
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Attack ChainAIDerived

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

  1. Access
    Obtain valid LeafWiki user account
  2. Delivery
    Authenticate and retrieve session token
  3. Exploit
    Send crafted PATCH/PUT request to user update API with role=admin
  4. Execution
    Server applies role change without authorization check
  5. Impact
    Attacker gains full admin privileges

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A06:2025 - Insecure Design
ASVS 5.0
V8 - Authorization Least privilege enforcement
MITRE ATT&CK

1 technique across 1 tactic: Privilege Escalation

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires a valid, authenticated LeafWiki user account on the target instance - any role (e.g., 'viewer') is sufficient. The vulnerability is present in default configurations of affected versions; no special feature flag or non-default setting is needed. Limiting factors include: instances that have disabled public registration and restrict account creation to trusted users are at lower practical risk, since an attacker must first obtain account credentials. Authentication is confirmed required by the CVSS PR:L metric and the vendor description. Instances without any untrusted users are not at meaningful risk from this specific vector.

Impact

The NVD-assigned CVSS 3.1 score of 8.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) accurately reflects the ease and impact of exploitation - low attack complexity, no user interaction, and full CIA impact upon gaining administrative control. The key limiting factor is PR:L: exploitation is gated behind a valid authenticated session, meaning unauthenticated attackers cannot directly exploit this flaw. No KEV listing exists and no public exploit code has been identified, so this is not currently under mass exploitation. However, the attack is trivially executable by any user with an account, and the lack of a KEV listing should not breed complacency on instances with open registration. Instances restricted to a small set of trusted users carry substantially lower practical risk, as stated in the vendor advisory. EPSS data is not available in the provided intelligence; exploitation probability should be considered moderate given the low technical barrier for authenticated users.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker registers or obtains a low-privileged LeafWiki account (e.g., with 'viewer' role) on a target instance. They craft an authenticated API request to the user update endpoint, supplying a role value of 'admin' in the request body alongside their own account identifier. The server applies the update without enforcing role-assignment authorization, granting the attacker full administrative access to the wiki instance. No public exploit code is known at time of analysis, but the attack requires no specialized tooling beyond an HTTP client.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 0.2% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Aug 21, 2026

Privilege escalation in LeafWiki versions 0.1.0 through 0.10.0 allows any authenticated user to elevate their own account role to administrator by manipulating the user update API. The flaw stems from improper privilege management (CWE-269) in the API endpoint responsible for account updates, which fails to enforce role-assignment restrictions. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis, but the attack is straightforward for any user with a valid account, making instances with open or semi-trusted registration particularly exposed.

RemediationAI

Upgrade LeafWiki to version 0.10.1 or later, which contains the vendor-released patch addressing the improper role assignment in the user update API; see the advisory at https://github.com/perber/leafwiki/security/advisories/GHSA-jj4r-587p-r5h5. Until patching is possible, operators should disable public or open user registration to prevent untrusted users from obtaining accounts that could be leveraged for escalation. Additionally, restrict network-level or application-level access to the user update API endpoint to administrators or trusted IP ranges only - note that this may break legitimate self-service profile update workflows for regular users. Auditing existing user accounts for unexpected role assignments is also advisable as a post-incident hygiene step.

Affected VersionsENISA

leafwiki 0.1.0, < 0.10.1

Affected Packages

euvd leafwiki_0_1_0 fix: 0.10.1

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

LeafWiki is a self-hosted wiki application developed by perber (CPE: cpe:2.3:a:perber:leafwiki:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*). The vulnerability is rooted in CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management): the user update API endpoint accepts a role parameter in the request body and applies it without verifying that the requesting user has the authority to assign elevated roles. This is a classic IDOR/broken access control pattern at the API layer, where server-side enforcement of the privilege boundary is absent. Affected versions span the entire release history from 0.1.0 up to and including 0.10.0.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (GitHub_M) PRIMARY 8.8 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
vuln.today AI 8.8 HIGH

Network-accessible API exploitable by any authenticated user (PR:L, AV:N, AC:L); admin takeover yields full CIA impact with no scope change.

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

Primary rating from Vendor (GitHub_M).

CVSS VectorVendor: GitHub_M

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Lifecycle Timeline

2
Patch available
Aug 21, 2026 - 22:02 EUVD
CVE Published
Aug 21, 2026 - 21:25 cve.org
HIGH 8.8

DescriptionCVE.org

LeafWiki is a self-hosted wiki. Versions 0.1.0 through 0.10.0 have a privilege escalation vulnerability in the user update API. An authenticated user could update their own account role and escalate privileges from a regular user, such as viewer, to admin. Exploitation requires a valid authenticated LeafWiki user account. Instances without public registration and with only trusted users are at lower practical risk. Users should update to version 0.10.1 or greater. Until a patch is available, operators should restrict account creation and ensure that only trusted users have accounts on affected LeafWiki instances. If possible, access to the user update API should be restricted to trusted users or administrators only.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

Any authenticated user on LeafWiki instances running versions 0.1.0-0.10.0 can escalate their own permissions to administrator level, converting standard user accounts into full system access points. This transforms the application's user population from restricted operators into potential system administrators, creating pathways for insider threats and credential-based administrative takeover. Organizations with permissive account registration face heightened exposure to unauthorized administrative control.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.2%
Top 84% exploitable
Prevalence
Low
Niche self-hosted wiki with small public footprint
Social Media
1
Sightings
Data Quality
6 sources
Confidence: High

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 Yes
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
Total

Priority Score

44
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +44
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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