Executive Summary

CVE-2026-35479 is a vulnerability in the InvenTree Open Source Inventory Management System affecting versions prior to 1.2.7 and 1.3.0. It allows users with staff-level access permissions to install plugins via the API without requiring superuser privileges. This is inconsistent with other plugin management actions, such as uninstalling plugins, which do require superuser access.

Because staff users are considered less trusted than superusers, this flaw violates the principle of least privilege by allowing potentially harmful or arbitrary plugins to be installed by staff users. The vulnerability was fixed by enforcing superuser access requirements for plugin installation in versions 1.2.7 and 1.3.0.

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Compliance Impact

The vulnerability allows staff users to install arbitrary plugins without superuser permissions, potentially introducing harmful code that could lead to unauthorized access, data leakage, or manipulation of sensitive information.

Such risks could impact compliance with standards and regulations like GDPR or HIPAA, which require strict controls over access to sensitive data and system integrity.

The CVE highlights the importance of strict network controls, trusted user and plugin management, and organizational security policies to mitigate risks inherent in InvenTree’s architecture and deployment.

Therefore, if exploited, this vulnerability could undermine compliance efforts by allowing lower-trust users to introduce potentially harmful plugins that might compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability of data.

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Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can allow staff users, who normally have limited trust, to install arbitrary plugins that may contain harmful code or functionality. Such plugins could potentially overwrite or delete server files, bypass security controls, or leak sensitive data.

Because plugins have full access to server files, the InvenTree database, and environment variables accessible to server and worker processes, malicious plugins could compromise the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of the system.

The vulnerability has a moderate severity with a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.6, indicating a significant risk that can be exploited remotely with low complexity and no user interaction, but requiring staff-level privileges.

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Detection Guidance

Detection of this vulnerability involves monitoring for unauthorized plugin installation attempts by users with staff-level access, since the vulnerability allows such users to install plugins without superuser privileges.

Recommended detection measures include restricting InvenTree server access to trusted networks, using Web Application Firewalls (WAF), IP whitelisting, and monitoring authentication attempts for unusual activity such as brute force attacks.

While no specific commands are provided in the resources, administrators should monitor API calls related to plugin installation and audit logs for plugin installation events initiated by staff users.

Network-level detection can include inspecting traffic for API requests to plugin installation endpoints originating from staff accounts.

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Mitigation Strategies

Immediate mitigation steps include upgrading InvenTree to version 1.2.7 or later, where the vulnerability is fixed by enforcing superuser access requirements for plugin installation.

If upgrading is not immediately possible, administrators can disable plugin functionality entirely by setting the environment variable `PLUGINS_ENABLED` to false.

Alternatively, prevent runtime plugin installation by setting the environment variable `INVENTREE_PLUGIN_NOINSTALL` to true, which blocks plugin installation via the API.

Additionally, ensure that only trusted users have staff or superuser permissions, restrict server access to trusted networks, and apply network security controls such as WAF and IP whitelisting.

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