CVE-2026-55089
Etherpad: JWT `admin` claim presence-only check lets non-admin OAuth users invoke every Etherpad HTTP API endpoint
- Published
- Updated
- Reserved
- Assigned by
- GitHub_M
Description
Etherpad is a real-time collaborative editor. From 2.1.0 until 3.1.0, Etherpad's src/node/handler/APIHandler.ts authorizes requests to /api/2/* in the authorization_code OAuth path by using requiredClaims with the admin claim. This check requires only that the claim exists, while src/node/security/OAuth2Provider.ts issues admin: false for configured non-admin users. A non-admin user with a valid signed token can therefore invoke administrative functions including setHTML, setText, appendText, deletePad, copyPad, movePad, restoreRevision, anonymizeAuthor, listAllPads, and listAuthorsOfPad, allowing disclosure, modification, or deletion of pads across the instance. This issue is fixed in version 3.1.0.
Scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub_MCNA (assigner) | 3.1 | Critical9.9 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:L |
| NVDNVD · Deferred | 3.1 | Critical9.9 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:L |
- EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)
- 0.46% · top 60% of all CVEs (6 Nov 2026)
- CISA SSVC
- Exploitation: poc · Automatable: no · Technical impact: total
The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: Critical 9.9.
Weakness
Affected products
References (4)
- https://github.com/ether/etherpad/security/advisories/GHSA-qfmh-fph3-mw8q (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_CONFIRMexploit
- https://github.com/ether/etherpad/pull/7784 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/ether/etherpad/commit/8c6104c5d5daf41f0d454acc04d42dffa0e0d996 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/ether/etherpad/releases/tag/v3.1.0 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISC
Sources
The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.
- CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
- CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
- NVD (opens in a new tab)
- FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
- OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
- GitHub Advisories (opens in a new tab)
- CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)
Badge for a README or a ticket
[](https://trackcve.app/cve/CVE-2026-55089)Record last updated .