CVE-2026-85990
Deferred Deferred - Pending Action

Privilege Escalation in Leantime via API Misconfiguration

Publication date: 2026-10-13

Last updated on: 2026-10-13

Assigner: GitHub, Inc.

Description
Leantime is an open source project management system. Prior to 3.10.0, for the provisionally grouped account-creation and plugin-management surfaces, Leantime's JSON-RPC dispatcher in app/Domain/Api/Controllers/Jsonrpc.php exposes public API service methods, while PermissionEnforcer::enforce allows methods that lack a RequiresPermission attribute. A low-privilege authenticated user with an ordinary browser session can send the required X-Requested-With: XMLHttpRequest header and call leantime.rpc.api.api.createApiKeyWithProjects, which reaches Api::createApiKeyWithProjects, with an attacker-chosen role to create an interactive administrator account. The same missing per-method authorization exposes Plugins::installPlugin, Plugins::enablePlugin, Plugins::disablePlugin, and Plugins::removePlugin to ordinary authenticated users, permitting unauthorized plugin management. The complete provisionally grouped issue is fixed in version 3.10.0.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-10-13
Last Modified
2026-10-13
Generated
2026-10-13
AI Q&A
2026-10-13
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-85990
EUVD
EUVD-2026-98850

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
Leantime leantime < 3.10.0

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-862 The product does not perform an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action.
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

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Executive Summary

Leantime versions before 3.10.0 have a vulnerability in their JSON-RPC API where public methods lack proper permission checks. An authenticated user can exploit this to create an admin account or manage plugins without authorization.

Detection Guidance

Check Leantime version for versions prior to 3.10.0. Inspect API logs for unusual calls to leantime.rpc.api.api.createApiKeyWithProjects or plugin management endpoints like Plugins::installPlugin. Monitor for unauthorized admin account creation or plugin modifications.

Impact Analysis

An attacker with low privileges could escalate their access to admin level, take control of the system, or install malicious plugins. This could lead to data theft, system compromise, or disruption of services.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could violate compliance requirements by allowing unauthorized access to sensitive data or system functions. GDPR and HIPAA require strict access controls, which this flaw undermines.

Mitigation Strategies

Upgrade Leantime to version 3.10.0 or later immediately. Review and remove any unauthorized admin accounts or plugins. Audit API access logs for suspicious activity. Restrict API access to trusted users only.

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