CVE-2026-26416
Authorization Bypass in TCS Cognix Recon Client Enables Privilege Escalation
Publication date: 2026-03-05
Last updated on: 2026-03-10
Assigner: MITRE
Description
Description
CVSS Scores
EPSS Scores
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Meta Information
Affected Vendors & Products
| Vendor | Product | Version / Range |
|---|---|---|
| tcs | cognix_platform | 3.0 |
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
| CWE ID | Description |
|---|---|
| CWE-269 | The product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor. |
Attack-Flow Graph
AI Powered Q&A
How can this vulnerability impact me? :
This vulnerability can allow an authenticated user to escalate their privileges beyond their assigned roles, potentially gaining unauthorized access to sensitive functions or data within the Cognix Recon Client.
Such unauthorized privilege escalation can lead to misuse of system capabilities, unauthorized data access, modification, or deletion, and could compromise the integrity and confidentiality of the system.
How does this vulnerability affect compliance with common standards and regulations (like GDPR, HIPAA)?:
I don't know
Can you explain this vulnerability to me?
CVE-2026-26416 is a privilege escalation vulnerability in Tata Consultancy Services Cognix Recon Client version 3.0. It allows authenticated users to bypass role-based access controls and escalate their privileges beyond what they are authorized for by sending specially crafted requests.
The root cause is insufficient enforcement of role-based access control (RBAC) logic, where predictable object identifiers can be manipulated to bypass authorization checks. This means users can exploit weaknesses in how the system verifies roles and permissions.
The affected endpoint is `http://clientreconhost/emp_recon/Authorization/users/getUserRoles`, and the vulnerability is related to improper privilege management and incorrect authorization.
How can this vulnerability be detected on my network or system? Can you suggest some commands?
[{'type': 'paragraph', 'content': 'This vulnerability involves privilege escalation via crafted API requests to the endpoint http://clientreconhost/emp_recon/Authorization/users/getUserRoles. Detection can focus on monitoring and analyzing requests to this endpoint for unusual or unauthorized role escalation attempts.'}, {'type': 'paragraph', 'content': 'You can use network monitoring tools or web proxy logs to identify suspicious requests that manipulate user role identifiers or parameters.'}, {'type': 'paragraph', 'content': 'Example commands to detect such activity might include:'}, {'type': 'list_item', 'content': 'Using curl to test the endpoint with crafted requests to see if role escalation is possible (for authorized users only):\ncurl -X GET "http://clientreconhost/emp_recon/Authorization/users/getUserRoles" -H "Authorization: Bearer <token>" -d \'{"userId":"<crafted_id>"}\''}, {'type': 'list_item', 'content': "Using tcpdump or tshark to capture HTTP traffic to the vulnerable endpoint:\ntcpdump -i <interface> -A 'tcp port 80 and (((ip dst host clientreconhost) and (tcp[((tcp[12:1] & 0xf0) >> 2):4] = 0x47455420)))'"}, {'type': 'list_item', 'content': "Using grep or similar tools on web server logs to find requests to the vulnerable endpoint with suspicious parameters:\ngrep '/emp_recon/Authorization/users/getUserRoles' /var/log/httpd/access_log | grep '<suspicious_parameter>'"}] [1]
What immediate steps should I take to mitigate this vulnerability?
Immediate mitigation steps include:
- Ensure that only authenticated and authorized users can access the vulnerable endpoint.
- Apply the official patch or update provided by Tata Consultancy Services that enhances authorization validation and strengthens role verification.
- Restrict access to the endpoint via network controls or firewall rules to trusted users or IP addresses.
- Monitor logs and network traffic for suspicious requests attempting to manipulate user role identifiers.
- Educate users about the risk of privilege escalation and enforce the principle of least privilege.