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RansomLook EUVDEUVD-2026-65089

| CVE-2026-78553 HIGH
Incorrect Default Permissions (CWE-276)
2026-08-24 CIRCL GHSA-5453-gcx7-h56m
7.0
CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: CIRCL
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Attack ChainAIDerived

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

  1. Recon
    Obtain local OS shell access
  2. Delivery
    Traverse to RansomLook home directory
  3. Exploit
    Read 0644-permissioned secret_key file
  4. Install
    Craft Flask session cookie with admin username
  5. C2
    Sign cookie with stolen secret
  6. Execute
    Submit forged session to RansomLook
  7. Impact
    Achieve full admin authentication bypass

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V13 - Configuration Default permission hardening
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

The attacker must hold a local OS user account on the host running RansomLook and must be able to read files within the RansomLook home directory. The vulnerable condition is the existence of a secret_key file with permissions broader than 0600 - specifically 0644 under the standard 022 umask - which is present in all deployments created before the patch. No network-level access to the application, no RansomLook credentials, and no elevated OS privileges are required to read the file. In LDAP authentication mode, exploitation imposes no additional conditions: the session user_loader does not check that the username embedded in the forged cookie corresponds to any real account, so the attacker may claim administrator identity using a completely invented username string. Exploitation is limited by: (1) requiring a local shell account on the specific host; (2) requiring the RansomLook home directory to be traversable by the attacker's user - deployments where the home directory is mode 0700 or 0750 owned by a dedicated service account prevent access entirely; and (3) in non-LDAP mode, the forged username must correspond to a valid local RansomLook user, adding modest knowledge requirements.

Impact

The CVSS 4.0 score of 7.0 (AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:L/VA:N) reflects a local-only attack that nonetheless yields high confidentiality impact. The local attack vector substantially constrains the exposed population to users holding OS-level shell access on the RansomLook host, which is the primary limiting factor. Within that scope, complexity is genuinely low: reading a 0644 file requires no tooling or exploitation primitives. The VC:H metric is fully justified - the session key is the single cryptographic trust anchor for the entire application. LDAP deployments face an additive risk: the session user loader does not validate that a forged username exists, making administrator impersonation unconditional once the key is obtained. This vulnerability is not listed in CISA KEV and no POC has been identified, keeping real-world exploitation probability low given the product's limited footprint. EPSS data was not provided in the input. The gap between a 7.0 CVSS and practical risk is real: organizations running RansomLook on a dedicated single-tenant host with the service account's home directory not accessible to other local users are not meaningfully exposed; shared multi-user environments represent the highest-risk deployment pattern.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

A non-privileged local user on the RansomLook host lists the application home directory and reads the world-readable secret_key file (permissions 0644). Using the 64-byte secret, the attacker constructs and signs a Flask session cookie containing the username 'admin' (or any arbitrary string in LDAP mode) and submits it to the RansomLook web interface, which cryptographically validates the signature and grants full administrator access without any password check.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 0.1% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Aug 24, 2026

Insecure file creation in RansomLook (≤ 2.0.0) exposes the Flask session-signing secret to any local OS user with read access to the application home directory, enabling complete authentication bypass. The secret key governs Flask session cookie signing and the legacy API-key derivation function; possession of it allows an attacker to forge valid session cookies and impersonate any user, including administrators. In LDAP-configured deployments, exploitation is especially direct because the session user loader accepts arbitrary usernames without verifying their existence against any user store. No public exploit has been identified at time of analysis.

RemediationAI

Apply the upstream patch from https://github.com/RansomLook/RansomLook/commit/df9d47edcf02dd0125db869d5bc19d93f426d892, which atomically creates new secret_key files at 0600 and retroactively tightens permissions on existing files at startup. Because the key file may have been world-readable since initial deployment, administrators should treat the existing secret as compromised: rotate the key by deleting or replacing the secret_key file, which will invalidate all currently issued sessions and require re-authentication. Manually apply chmod 0600 <secret_key_path> as an immediate interim step before patching. As defense-in-depth, restrict the RansomLook home directory to mode 0750 or 0700 owned by the service account, preventing other local users from traversing into it regardless of individual file permissions - note this has no side effect on application functionality but requires confirming no other local process legitimately reads from that directory. If LDAP authentication is enabled, treat this as the highest-priority remediation path, as session forgery in that configuration does not require knowing any valid username.

Affected VersionsENISA

RansomLook 0 ≤2.0.0

Affected Packages

euvd ransomlook 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

RansomLook is a Python/Flask web application (CPE: cpe:2.3:a:ransomlook:ransomlook:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*) used for tracking ransomware groups. Flask's session integrity depends entirely on a server-side secret key used to HMAC-sign session cookies; knowledge of the key allows arbitrary session forgery. The root cause is CWE-276 (Incorrect Default Permissions): the key file was created via Python's standard open() call, which respects the process umask (typically 022), yielding 0644 permissions - world-readable on a shared system. The same secret additionally seeds the legacy API-key KDF, so theft compromises both session and API authentication layers simultaneously. The upstream fix, visible in commit df9d47edcf02dd0125db869d5bc19d93f426d892, replaces the open() call with os.open() specifying explicit mode 0o600 at creation time - the only approach that eliminates the race window between file creation and a subsequent chmod - and a startup-time _restrict_to_owner() function retroactively tightens permissions on pre-existing key files.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (CIRCL) PRIMARY 7.0 HIGH
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
vuln.today AI 6.8 MEDIUM

Any unprivileged local OS user can read the 0644 file (PR:N, AV:L, AC:L); high confidentiality impact from full key disclosure enables session forgery, low integrity impact from resulting auth state manipulation.

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

Primary rating from Vendor (CIRCL).

CVSS VectorVendor: CIRCL

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Attack Requirements
None
Privileges Required
None
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

RansomLook created its Flask session-signing key without explicitly restricting the file permissions. The secret_key file was created using the process's default permissions and umask, resulting in permissions such as 0644 under a common 022 umask. Consequently, other local users able to access the RansomLook home directory could read the application's cryptographic secret.

The exposed key is security-critical because it is used to sign Flask session cookies and is also involved in the legacy API-key key derivation. An attacker who obtains the key can generate valid session cookies and impersonate an authenticated user, including an administrator. In LDAP configurations, exploitation may be particularly straightforward because the session user loader does not require the supplied username to correspond to an existing local user.

Successful exploitation requires local access sufficient to read the improperly protected file, but can result in complete compromise of RansomLook's authentication and authorization controls.

The patch creates new secret-key files atomically with permissions 0600 and also restricts permissions on existing key files during application startup.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

RansomLook versions 2.0.0 and earlier expose session-signing secrets to any local system user with directory read access, enabling authentication bypass and administrative account impersonation. Organizations running this product face immediate risk of unauthorized administrative access and data compromise, with heightened exposure in LDAP-integrated environments where attackers can impersonate any user without account validation.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.1%
Top 97% exploitable
Prevalence
Rare
niche ransomware-tracking tool, minimal enterprise deployment footprint
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 0.1%
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
Small
Automatable
No
Human Impact
High
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

35
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +35
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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Unauthenticated private-data disclosure in RansomLook, an open-source ransomware-leak-site tracking platform, allows any

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Missing authorization in RansomLook, an open-source ransomware-intelligence tracking platform, lets unauthenticated remo

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Unauthenticated remote attackers can create crypto group entries in RansomLook by directly accessing the /admin/crypto/g

CVE-2026-78551 HIGH
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Three compounding authentication weaknesses in RansomLook's /login endpoint allow an unauthenticated remote attacker to

CVE-2026-78391 HIGH
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Stored XSS in RansomLook's cryptocurrency wallet detail view allows attacker-controlled JavaScript to execute in the sec

CVE-2026-78386 HIGH
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Sensitive scraping credentials and bypass logic were exposed to unauthenticated callers through multiple RansomLook API

CVE-2026-78380 HIGH
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RansomLook versions through 2.0.0 leaks victim posts belonging to privately configured ransomware groups and markets thr

CVE-2026-78381 HIGH
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Path traversal in RansomLook's GroupPost.get API handler allows an attacker controlling a malicious upstream instance to

CVE-2026-78385 HIGH
8.2 Aug 24

PDF export in RansomLook allows authenticated analysts to read arbitrary server-side files and conduct server-side reque

CVE-2026-78378 MEDIUM
6.9 Aug 24

Redis glob pattern injection in Ransomlook versions up to and including 2.0.0 allows unauthenticated remote attackers to

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