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knowns EUVDEUVD-2026-75582

| CVE-2026-88939 HIGH
Incorrect Authorization (CWE-863)
2026-09-10 VulnCheck GHSA-qwj4-f78f-jj3j
8.7
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
    Obtain read-only agent session credential
  2. Delivery
    Send project.set request to server
  3. Exploit
    Permission guard skips authorization check unconditionally
  4. Execution
    Server repoints to attacker-chosen directory
  5. Impact
    Agent session now operates with write capabilities on new directory

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V8 - Authorization Authorization logic validation
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 possession of a valid read-only agent session credential for the knowns server - any agent-level access suffices. The server must be reachable over the network (AV:N). No special configuration is needed beyond the default deployment, as the exemption is hardcoded unconditionally. What limits exploitation: the attacker must already have been granted some level of agent access (PR:L), making fully external unauthenticated attackers unable to exploit this directly. The attacker-chosen target directory must be accessible on the server's filesystem for the repoint to have meaningful effect.

Impact

The CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:L) scores 8.7, reflecting network-accessible exploitation with low attack complexity, no special requirements, but requiring at minimum a low-privilege agent session (PR:L). This distinguishes the flaw from fully unauthenticated attacks: an adversary must first obtain any read-only agent credential, which serves as the primary limiting factor. Confidentiality and integrity impacts are both rated high because the attacker can read and write within the attacker-chosen project directory. Availability impact is low (VA:L), consistent with no direct service disruption. No EPSS score is provided in the input data; the absence of KEV listing and publicly available exploit code further suggests this is not yet broadly targeted. Real-world priority is moderate: organizations granting read-only agent access to untrusted or semi-trusted parties face meaningful risk of write-access escalation.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker who has obtained a read-only agent session - for example, a contractor or CI pipeline token - sends a project.set request pointing the server at a directory containing attacker-controlled files. Because the permission guard unconditionally skips this action, the request succeeds, and subsequent agent operations now target the attacker-chosen directory with write-level capabilities. No exploit code is publicly documented, but the exploitation path is straightforward given the bypass is hardcoded.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
No patch listed yet 0.3% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Sep 10, 2026

Privilege escalation in knowns through 0.33.0 permits authenticated read-only agent sessions to bypass authorization controls entirely by invoking the project.set action, which is unconditionally exempted from the permission guard in the internal permissions subsystem. An attacker with any level of agent access can repoint the server to an arbitrary project directory, converting read-only access into write-capable access over the newly targeted directory. No public exploit code and no active exploitation are confirmed at time of analysis; the vulnerability is reported by VulnCheck referencing the upstream GitHub security advisory.

RemediationAI

Update knowns to the first version released after 0.33.0; the exact patched release version is not specified in the available input data and should be confirmed via the upstream advisory at https://github.com/knowns-dev/knowns/security/advisories/GHSA-h73x-698r-qrvg before upgrading. The VulnCheck advisory at https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/knowns-through-0.33.0-authorization-bypass-via-project-set-bootstrap-exemption provides additional context. As a compensating control pending patching, restrict agent session issuance so that no untrusted or externally-controlled identities hold even read-only credentials, since any agent credential is sufficient to exploit this flaw. Alternatively, block network access to the knowns API endpoint for unapproved callers via firewall or proxy ACLs; this raises the bar without eliminating the vulnerability for insider threats.

Affected VersionsENISA

knowns 0 ≤0.33.0

Affected Packages

euvd knowns 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

The knowns project (cpe:2.3:a:knowns-dev:knowns) is a developer tool exposing agent sessions with tiered permission levels. The permission guard subsystem, implemented in internal/permissions/guard.go (lines 104-113) and internal/permissions/registry.go (lines 51-54), enforces access control for most actions but hardcodes the project.set action as an unconditional bootstrap exemption - no permission check is ever applied to it. CWE-863 (Incorrect Authorization) classifies this precisely: the authorization mechanism exists and is generally enforced, but a security-sensitive action is explicitly excluded from its scope. Because project.set can redirect the server's active project directory, any agent session - including read-only ones - can leverage this exemption to escalate privileges over a different directory tree.

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Severity by source

Vendor (VulnCheck) PRIMARY 8.7 HIGH
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
vuln.today AI 8.3 HIGH

Network-reachable, no special conditions, requires valid low-privilege agent session (PR:L), no scope change beyond the affected server, high C/I from directory repoint, low A.

3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:L/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
High
Vulnerable system: Availability
Low
Subsequent system: Confidentiality
None
Subsequent system: Integrity
None
Subsequent system: Availability
None

DescriptionCVE.org

knowns through 0.33.0 exempts the project.set action from permission guard checks unconditionally, allowing read-only agent sessions to bypass restrictions. Attackers can invoke project.set to repoint the server at another project directory and obtain write access capabilities.

Technical POC Analysis

Evidence discrepancy, stated first: the supplied advisory (GHSA-h73x-698r-qrvg, "Critical", CVSS 9.4, CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H) carries no CVE ID ("CVE ID: No k…

Full technical POC analysis - root cause, step-by-step exploitation and patch breakdown - is part of the Pro and Business plans.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

knowns through version 0.33.0 contains a critical authorization bypass that allows any authenticated user with read-only agent access to escalate privileges and gain full write access to arbitrary project directories. This flaw converts restricted agent sessions into unrestricted administrative capability, enabling unauthorized modification of project data and creating potential compliance violations for organizations enforcing role-based access controls.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations include: (1) remove or disable the project.set action from all read-only agent role definitions; (2) restrict agent credential scope to single, predetermined project directories in configuration; (3) implement comprehensive audit logging of all project-related actions with cross-reference to agent identity, session ID, and source IP; (4) enforce network segmentation so read-only agents can only reach their assigned project infrastructure; (5) require manual change-control approval for any project directory repointing operations.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.3%
Top 81% exploitable
Prevalence
Rare
obscure open-source developer tool, limited known deployment footprint
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 0.3%
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· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable· derived
No
Human Impact
High

Priority Score

44
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +44
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

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