Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
A flawed permission check in Grav’s API plugin lets a limited API key tied to a super-admin account perform highly sensitive actions against other super-admins. Potential impacts include disabling two-factor authentication, deleting avatars, creating API keys under another administrator’s identity, and deleting existing keys.
Executive priority
Prioritize immediate remediation where the affected plugin is enabled and applicable API keys exist, especially when API routes are externally reachable. Because administrator security controls and credentials can be altered, combine upgrading with key rotation and a targeted review for suspicious account changes.
Technical view
Before version 1.0.18, requireNotSuperTarget() in UsersController.php checks the acting account with isSuperAdmin() instead of checking the API key’s authority with isSuperWithinScope(). This fails to enforce key scope across seven sensitive user-management endpoints, enabling unauthorized actions against super-admin targets.
Likely exposure
Exposure requires the getgrav/grav-plugin-api plugin before 1.0.18 and a below-super-scope API key belonging to a super-admin account. Risk increases where affected API endpoints are network-accessible. The supplied affected-version data is inconsistent, so verify the plugin component and installed version directly.
Exploitation context
The supplied sources do not report active exploitation, and this CVE is not listed as KEV in the bundle. Exploitation nevertheless appears low-complexity once an attacker possesses an applicable scoped API key, with no user interaction required. Do not treat the absence of reported exploitation as evidence of safety.
Researcher notes
The described weakness is CWE-863: incorrect authorization. The source bundle’s affected array lists values ambiguously, while the title and description consistently specify plugin versions before 1.0.18. Validate the plugin package rather than relying solely on the generic Grav product record. No exploit availability or observed exploitation is established by the supplied evidence.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade getgrav/grav-plugin-api to version 1.0.18 or later, following the vendor advisory.
- Revoke and reissue scoped API keys associated with super-admin accounts after upgrading.
- Limit network access to affected API routes until remediation is complete.
- Monitor sensitive administrator, 2FA, avatar, and API-key changes for suspicious activity.
Validation and detection
- Inventory deployments and identify getgrav/grav-plugin-api versions earlier than 1.0.18.
- Identify below-super-scope API keys belonging to super-admin accounts.
- Review logs for unusual 2FA, avatar, API-key creation, or API-key deletion events.
- In authorized testing, confirm limited-scope keys cannot target super-admin accounts after upgrading.
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-863: 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 lookupCredential and access behavior lookup
The CVE wording references authentication or credential exposure, so valid-account and credential-access review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2026-80203 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-94q7-vrqr-cx5v)CVE reference, VulnCheck · vendor-advisory
- VulnCheck Advisory: Grav before 1.0.18 Authentication Bypass via Scoped API KeyCVE 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.
Incorrect Authorization
Incorrect Authorization represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.