How severe is CVE-2026-55089?

CVE-2026-55089 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.9, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability low.

Is CVE-2026-55089 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (29th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2026-55089?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2026-55089 published?

CVE-2026-55089 was published on 2026-08-19.

CVE-2026-55089

CVE-2026-55089 is a critical-severity vulnerability with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.9. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-863.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.9)
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (29th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-863
Published: 2026-08-19
Last modified: 2026-08-19

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.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-55089?: 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.
How severe is CVE-2026-55089?: CVE-2026-55089 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.9, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability low.
Is CVE-2026-55089 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (29th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How do I fix CVE-2026-55089?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2026-55089 published?: CVE-2026-55089 was published on 2026-08-19.

References

Other CWE-863 (Incorrect Authorization) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-69555 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Incorrect authorization in Azure Arc allows an unauthorized attacker to elevate privileges over a network.
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CVE-2026-27302 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Adobe Campaign Classic (ACC) is affected by an Incorrect Authorization vulnerability that could result in arbitrary…
CVE-2026-48449 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Adobe Campaign Classic (ACC) is affected by an Incorrect Authorization vulnerability that could result in arbitrary…
CVE-2026-48286 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Adobe Campaign Classic (ACC) versions 7.4.3 build 9396 and earlier are affected by an Incorrect Authorization…
CVE-2026-48303 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Adobe Campaign Classic (ACC) versions 7.4.3 build 9394 and earlier are affected by an Incorrect Authorization…

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