Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
A restricted API key created for a Grav super administrator can escape its intended limits and create or promote a fully privileged account. An attacker holding such a key could gain unrestricted administration, exposing site data, configuration, and availability.
Executive priority
Treat affected, API-accessible installations as an immediate remediation priority. The flaw can convert a supposedly restricted credential into complete administrative control. Prioritize upgrades and key revocation, then investigate for unauthorized account or privilege changes; current exploitation is not established by the supplied sources.
Technical view
Grav API plugin versions before 1.0.13 incorrectly enforce API-key scope limits in UsersController create() and update(). The super-administrator check reads the account’s access.api.super privilege without applying the key’s scopes, allowing a key limited to api.users.write to grant super access directly or through a privileged group.
Likely exposure
Exposure requires the Grav API plugin before 1.0.13 and an api.users.write-scoped key issued from a super account. Risk is highest where these keys are externally reachable, shared, logged, leaked, or retained longer than necessary. Installations without that combination are not shown vulnerable by the supplied evidence.
Exploitation context
The CVSS 3.1 score is 9.8, reflecting remote, low-complexity compromise with potentially complete confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact. The supplied record is not in KEV and provides no evidence of active exploitation. Successful abuse nevertheless requires possession of a qualifying API key.
Researcher notes
The authorization failure is a scope-cap bypass mapped to CWE-269. UsersController applies the cap for api.users.write but uses a bare isSuperAdmin() decision for super grants. Assessment should distinguish the issuing account’s privileges from the API key’s effective scopes. The supplied evidence does not establish exploitation in the wild.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade the Grav API plugin to version 1.0.13 or later.
- Review the vendor advisory for any additional remediation or release guidance.
- Revoke and replace api.users.write keys issued from super accounts.
- Restrict API access while remediation and credential review are completed.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Grav installations and identify the installed API plugin version.
- Identify api.users.write keys associated with super-administrator accounts.
- Review recent user creations, privilege changes, and privileged-group assignments.
- Investigate unexpected super accounts and administrative authentication activity.
- Confirm revoked keys no longer authenticate after remediation.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-269: Authorization and privilege behavior lookup
Authorization weaknesses can support privilege escalation and valid-account review, depending on exploit path. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2026-72829 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Critical
- CVSS
- 9.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
SSVC decision data
CVSS vector scores
2 official scoresWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H3.95.9VulnCheckCVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N——VulnCheckVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 4.0 score
9.3CriticalVector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Base CVSS 3.1 score
9.8CriticalVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
ADP provider summaries
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- GitHub Security Advisory (GHSA-jrm3-jpp7-3gmx)CVE reference, VulnCheck · vendor-advisory
- VulnCheck Advisory: Grav before 1.0.13 API Key Scope Bypass via UsersControllerCVE reference, VulnCheck · third-party-advisory
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Improper Privilege Management
Improper Privilege Management represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.