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Ghostwriter EUVDEUVD-2026-64678

| CVE-2026-78203 HIGH
Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key (CWE-639)
2026-08-24 VulnCheck GHSA-r3hm-6h2p-vf9v
7.1
CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: VulnCheck
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Attack ChainAIDerived

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

  1. Access
    Authenticate as low-privilege Ghostwriter user
  2. Delivery
    Enumerate report template PKs via sequential integers
  3. Exploit
    Submit template swap request with foreign client template ID
  4. Execution
    Platform accepts ID without ownership check
  5. Persist
    Generate report to render foreign template
  6. Impact
    Exfiltrate client letterhead and methodology text

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V8 - Authorization Object-level authorization, IDOR prevention
Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires a valid authenticated Ghostwriter user account (PR:L), confirming that unauthenticated access is not sufficient. The attack is only impactful in multi-tenant deployments where at least two different clients have client-scoped templates stored on the same Ghostwriter instance - a single-client deployment exposes no foreign data. The integer sequential primary key enumeration requires no prior knowledge of other clients' template IDs. There is no special configuration required beyond the default template management workflow; the vulnerable endpoint is present in any standard Ghostwriter deployment running a version prior to 7.1.2. The key limiting factor is the authentication requirement and the need for a multi-tenant instance - operators running single-client instances face no cross-client confidentiality risk from this vector.

Impact

CVSS 4.0 base score of 7.1 (AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:L/VA:N) is well-calibrated: the network vector with low complexity and low privilege requirements reflects that any authenticated platform user can exploit this with a trivial integer enumeration - no special tooling or chaining required. The high confidentiality impact is appropriate given that exposed template contents (client letterhead, legal boilerplate, bespoke methodology) represent confidential business information. The low integrity impact reflects the ability to pollute a report with a foreign template, though this is secondary. The absence from CISA KEV and lack of confirmed POC code reduces urgency slightly, but the ease of exploitation (sequential PKs, no access complexity) means any multi-tenant Ghostwriter deployment where different competing clients exist on the same instance carries material business risk. Risk is highest for managed security service providers hosting multiple clients on a shared instance.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An authenticated red team consultant or low-privilege Ghostwriter user on a managed multi-tenant instance iterates integer values in the template swap API request, substituting their own report's template ID with incrementing integers. When a foreign client-scoped template ID is matched, the endpoint silently accepts it; the attacker then triggers report generation, which renders the foreign template and discloses that client's proprietary letterhead, legal disclaimers, and methodology text. No exploit code is required beyond a basic HTTP client capable of modifying POST parameters.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 0.3% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Aug 24, 2026

Cross-client template disclosure in Ghostwriter before 7.1.2 allows authenticated users to exfiltrate proprietary report templates belonging to other clients managed within the same platform instance. The report template swap endpoint failed to enforce ownership validation, accepting user-controlled template primary keys without verifying client-scope alignment. Because template PKs are sequential integers, an attacker with any authenticated access can enumerate foreign template IDs, attach them to their own reports, and trigger report generation to read sensitive client deliverable content - including letterhead, boilerplate legal text, and pentest methodology. No public exploit identified at time of analysis, though VulnCheck has published an advisory and a researcher (geo-chen) has documented the issue in a public repository.

RemediationAI

Upgrade Ghostwriter to version 7.1.2 or later, which introduces client-scope enforcement on template assignment via the can_apply_to_report() method and restricts GraphQL mutations on template ID columns. The upstream fix commit is 5b2a4a297e44c823c16f65b1ba101c742791cd0b. For operators unable to patch immediately, a compensating control is to ensure that only a single client's data exists per Ghostwriter instance (eliminating cross-client exposure risk), or to restrict the report template swap endpoint at the web application firewall or reverse-proxy layer to block unanticipated template ID substitutions. Note that WAF-level controls are brittle against parameter enumeration and should not be treated as a permanent fix. Consult the VulnCheck advisory at https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/ghostwriter-before-cross-client-report-template-disclosure-via-unauthorized-template-swap for additional guidance.

Affected VersionsENISA

Ghostwriter 0 <7.1.2

Affected Packages

euvd ghostwriter fix: 7.1.2

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

Ghostwriter (cpe:2.3:a:ghostmanager:ghostwriter:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*) is a Django-based penetration testing report management platform that enforces client data isolation - templates are scoped to specific clients to protect proprietary branding and methodology. CWE-639 (Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key) is the root cause: the template swap endpoint accepted user-supplied integer primary keys directly from the HTTP request without querying whether the referenced ReportTemplate belonged to the same client as the target report. The commit diff at 5b2a4a2 reveals the fix: a new _report_template_queryset() helper that filters templates by Q(client_id=project.client_id) | Q(client__isnull=True), a can_apply_to_report() check added to archive.py, and a GraphQL permission block preventing direct write of docx_template_id/pptx_template_id columns. The vulnerable code was in ghostwriter/reporting/views.py lines 275-315 (v7.1.1).

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Severity by source

Vendor (VulnCheck) PRIMARY 7.1 HIGH
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
vuln.today AI 7.1 HIGH

Network-accessible endpoint, low complexity, requires authenticated low-privilege user; high confidentiality loss from template disclosure, minor integrity from unauthorized template attachment, no availability impact.

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

Primary rating from Vendor (VulnCheck).

CVSS VectorVendor: VulnCheck

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

DescriptionCVE.org

Ghostwriter before 7.1.2 fails to validate template ownership in the report template swap endpoint, allowing attackers to attach client-scoped templates from other clients to their own reports. Attackers can exploit sequential template primary keys to enumerate and attach foreign templates, then generate reports to disclose template contents including letterhead, boilerplate, and methodology text.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

Ghostwriter versions prior to 7.1.2 contain an access control vulnerability allowing any authenticated platform user to access and exfiltrate sensitive report templates belonging to competing clients on the same instance. This exposes proprietary methodologies, client deliverables, and confidential business content, creating risk of intellectual property theft and breach of client confidentiality regardless of user privilege level.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.3%
Top 81% exploitable
Prevalence
Low
specialized pentest reporting platform used by security consulting firms
Data Quality
7 sources
Confidence: High
EUVD NVD CVE.org EPSS Vulnrichment GitHub VulDB

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 0.3%
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
Partial

Priority Score

36
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +36
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.

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