Use of Default Cryptographic Key (CVE-2026-85295)
Published Last modified Sources: CVE.org, pwn.watch
What is affected, what to do
Chartbrew is an open-source web application that can connect directly to databases and APIs and use the data to create charts. Prior to 5.2.3, four authentication helpers accepted session tokens signed with CB_SECRET, including known, weak, or shipped-default values.
The available sources name no fixed version. Check the vendor guidance in the references below.
Not sure whether and how you are affected? Ask a question about this vulnerability
Metrics
9.8
Priority
XIEM Effective CVSS: highest available CVSS rating from NVD and vendor data.
Source: Vendor (CNA), CVSS v3
9.8
CVSS v3
Severity Critical on the scale from 0 to 10.
Source: CVE.org, pwn.watch
—
EPSS score
No value is available for this vulnerability.
Show all metrics
- Severity
- Critical
Priority (0–325)
The priority score is a consolidated metric that condenses several individual signals into a single, action-guiding ranking: technical severity (CVSS), exploitation likelihood (EPSS), known-exploited status (KEV) and the context of the affected asset. The aim is to answer the only truly important question in vulnerability management: what first?
Read in glossary- 79.00 Methodology
Exploit maturity
An exploit is code or a technique that specifically uses a concrete vulnerability to force unintended behaviour — such as executing code or escalating privileges. It is the tool that turns a theoretical flaw into a practical attack.
Read in glossary- no public PoC known
XIEM Effective CVSS
XIEM® is the tiered managed-security operating model from NEOSEC and a registered trademark of NEOSEC GmbH. It extends classic SIEM — the central collection, normalisation and correlation of security-relevant events — with endpoint forensics, network visibility and deception technology, and consolidates them into three building tiers: Sentry, Orchestrate and Command.
Read in glossary- 9.8 Methodology
CVSS v3
CVSS is the globally established, open standard for assessing the technical severity of a vulnerability on a scale from 0 to 10. It describes how easily a flaw can be exploited and what damage it can cause — but not how likely its actual exploitation is. CVSS and the complementary EPSS deliberately answer different questions.
Read in glossary- 9.8
KEV status
The KEV catalogue is a list maintained by the US authority CISA of vulnerabilities for which active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed. It answers not the question „how severe?“ but „is it already being attacked?“ — thereby sharply prioritising patching.
Read in glossary- —
- Published
CWE
CWE is a catalogue of typical weakness types in software and hardware — such as flawed input validation, unsafe memory handling or poor authentication. Where a CVE names a concrete vulnerability in a concrete product, a CWE describes the underlying class of defect.
Read in glossary- CWE-1394
Detection rules
No NEOSEC detection rule is available for this vulnerability yet.
Classification under NIS2 and CRA
Rule-based classification from exploitation status and severity. It does not replace a case-by-case assessment.
NIS2
NIS2 is EU Directive (EU) 2022/2555 to raise the level of cybersecurity across the Union. It substantially broadens obligations compared with the first NIS directive: more sectors, mandatory risk management, staged reporting duties and personal accountability of senior management.
Read in glossary- High technical severity: assess and remediate the vulnerability in vulnerability handling under Art. 21(2)(e) NIS2 and document the decision.
CRA
The CRA is EU Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 setting horizontal cybersecurity requirements for „products with digital elements“ — from industrial controllers and software to connected consumer devices. For the first time manufacturers must ensure security across the entire product lifecycle, handle vulnerabilities and provide security updates.
Read in glossary- From 11.12.2027, Annex I Part II CRA requires manufacturers of affected products with digital elements to handle vulnerabilities without delay and provide security updates.
ISO/IEC 27001
ISO/IEC 27001 is the internationally leading standard for an information security management system (ISMS). It describes a risk-based, process-oriented framework to systematically plan, implement, review and improve information security.
Read in glossary- Control A.8.8, management of technical vulnerabilities: assess relevance to your systems, plan remediation and keep evidence.
Description
Chartbrew is an open-source web application that can connect directly to databases and APIs and use the data to create charts. Prior to 5.2.3, four authentication helpers accepted session tokens signed with CB_SECRET, including known, weak, or shipped-default values. The vulnerable surface is session JWT fallback in server/modules/verifyToken.js, verifyUser.js, getUserFromToken.js, and socketManager.js across the API and socket layer. A stock source or repository Docker Compose deployment retains a known, weak, or default CB_SECRET and an attacker submits a forged HS256 token decoding to a target user id. Knowing the symmetric secret lets the attacker create a token that the legacy verification fallback accepts as the target user without that user's password or two-factor authentication. The condition includes stock source and repository Docker Compose installs and any otherwise known or weak CB_SECRET; a bare container where CB_SECRET is undefined is not affected by this fallback path. A forged session impersonates the chosen user across the entire API and socket layer and exercises that user's Chartbrew privileges. This issue is fixed in version 5.2.3.
Source: NVD (NIST), pwn.watch
Weakness classes (CWE)
CWE-1394Use of Default Cryptographic Key
Base
The product uses a default cryptographic key for potentially critical functionality.
Entry at MITRE CWE-1394
References & sources
- github.comchartbrew/chartbrew/commit/da8c71f156aaa13fbc7ead15a4726740fef2…
- github.comChartbrew v5.2.3 security releasepwn-watch
- github.comGHSA-qvv4-r3q6-8797 / CVE-2026-85295: full account takeover via default CB_SECRET JWTspwn-watch
- pwn.watchpwn.watch: Chartbrew: default CB_SECRET account takeover, unauthenticated SQLi, cross-tenant theft, BullMQ exposure — fixed in 5.2.1 / 5.2.3pwn-watch
- github.comGHSA-4wj7-9gq7-mrr2 / CVE-2026-54349: unauthenticated SQLi via dashboard filter substitutionpwn-watch
- github.comGHSA-6gv3-8wxh-6vfq / CVE-2026-85712: cross-tenant project takeover via body.team_idpwn-watch
- github.comGHSA-3chp-cr6f-hp63 / CVE-2026-85708: private chart disclosure via forgeable share tokenspwn-watch
- github.comGHSA-mr45-2r9x-cgwf / CVE-2026-85726: blind NoSQL injection via MongoDB date variablepwn-watch
- github.comGHSA-p5h6-f969-jpfv / CVE-2026-85736: arbitrary file deletion via SSL/SSH connection pathspwn-watch
- github.comGHSA-w8g3-j8rf-qc5j / CVE-2026-86005: unauthenticated BullMQ admin dashboard exposurepwn-watch
- github.comGHSA-6m7q-jmp7-3vw8 / CVE-2026-54589: NAT64 SSRF bypass in outbound URL guardpwn-watch
- NVD (NIST)NVD: CVE-2026-85295pwn-watch
- NVD (NIST)NVD: CVE-2026-54349pwn-watch
- NVD (NIST)NVD: CVE-2026-85712pwn-watch
Changes to this CVE
Who changed this CVE and when: NVD (analysis, affected products, CVSS), the CVE publisher (CNA) and additional providers such as CISA (ADP).
ReceivedGitHub
CVSS V3.1: AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Weakness type: CWE-1394
Description added or changed
Show 7 original changes
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After Description added —Chartbrew is an open-source web application that can connect directly to databases and APIs and use the data to create charts. Prior to 5.2.3, four authentication helpers accepted session tokens signed with CB_SECRET, including known, weak, or shipped-default values. The vulnerable surface is session JWT fallback in server/modules/verifyToken.js, verifyUser.js, getUserFromToken.js, and socketManager.js across the API and socket layer. A stock source or repository Docker Compose deployment retains a known, weak, or default CB_SECRET and an attacker submits a forged HS256 token decoding to a target user id. Knowing the symmetric secret lets the attacker create a token that the legacy verification fallback accepts as the target user without that user's password or two-factor authentication. The condition includes stock source and repository Docker Compose installs and any otherwise known or weak CB_SECRET; a bare container where CB_SECRET is undefined is not affected by this fallback path. A forged session impersonates the chosen user across the entire API and socket layer and exercises that user's Chartbrew privileges. This issue is fixed in version 5.2.3.CVSS added —AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HWeakness type (CWE) added —CWE-1394Affected versions (publisher) added —New affected value received. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/85xxx/CVE-2026-85295.json">CVE-2026-85295</a>Reference added —https://github.com/chartbrew/chartbrew/commit/da8c71f156aaa13fbc7ead15a4726740fef2b3c5Reference added —https://github.com/chartbrew/chartbrew/releases/tag/v5.2.3Reference added —https://github.com/chartbrew/chartbrew/security/advisories/GHSA-qvv4-r3q6-8797Source identifier: security-advisories@github.com
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<a href="https://intel.neosec.eu/en/cve/CVE-2026-85295"><img src="https://intel.neosec.eu/badge/cve/CVE-2026-85295.svg?lang=en" alt="CVE-2026-85295 – NEOSEC Intel" height="20"></a>