Leantime: Any Authenticated User Can Self-Escalate to Admin via Unauthorized JSON-RPC Methods (CVE-2026-85990)

What is affected, what to do

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.

Update Leantime to version 3.10.0.

Affected

• Leantime lt *..3.10.0

Fixed in

• Leantime 3.10.0

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Metrics

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

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.

Source: cvelistv5, OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities), NVD (NIST), GitHub Security Advisories, ENISA EUVD

Vendors and products

• Leantime Leantime

Weakness classes (CWE)

• CWE-269Improper Privilege Management

  Class

  The product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.

  Entry at MITRE CWE-269

• CWE-862Missing Authorization

  Class

  The product does not perform an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action.

  Entry at MITRE CWE-862

References & sources

• github.comLeantime/leantime/security/advisories/GHSA-54mm-6729-r5wpx_refsource_CONFIRM, euvd
• github.comLeantime/leantime/pull/3583x_refsource_MISC, euvd
• github.comLeantime/leantime/pull/3797x_refsource_MISC, euvd
• github.comLeantime/leantime/commit/5605e5ee86bbd01acb85c6b5d8fb337faf8bcf…x_refsource_MISC, euvd
• github.comLeantime/leantime/commit/7ebf7a9517e2aaa05ec15b8130ab1841a4bde4…x_refsource_MISC, euvd
• github.comLeantime/leantime/releases/tag/v3.10.0x_refsource_MISC, euvd
• NVD (NIST)vuln/detail/CVE-2026-85990advisory
• github.comLeantime/leantimepackage

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).

1. 16.10.2026Record modifiedCISA ADP

   CISA assessment (SSVC): exploitation: proof of concept, automatable: no

   New references:

   • https://github.com/Leantime/leantime/security/advisories/GHSA-54mm-6729-r5wp
   Show 2 original changes

   Individual changes of this event as published by NVD

   Type	Action	Before	After
   Reference	added	—	https://github.com/Leantime/leantime/security/advisories/GHSA-54mm-6729-r5wp
   SSVC assessment	added	—	{"id":"CVE-2026-85990","role":"CISA Coordinator","options":[{"exploitation":"poc"},{"automatable":"no"},{"technicalImpact":"total"}],"version":"2.0.3","timestamp":"2026-10-16T22:07:42.946920Z"}

   Source identifier: 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0

2. 13.10.2026ReceivedGitHub

   CVSS V3.1: AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

   Weakness type: CWE-269, CWE-862

   Description added or changed

   New references:

   • https://github.com/Leantime/leantime/commit/5605e5ee86bbd01acb85c6b5d8fb337faf8bcf02
   • https://github.com/Leantime/leantime/commit/7ebf7a9517e2aaa05ec15b8130ab1841a4bde43e
   • https://github.com/Leantime/leantime/pull/3583
   • https://github.com/Leantime/leantime/pull/3797

   and 2 more references

   Show 12 original changes

   Individual changes of this event as published by NVD

   Type	Action	Before	After
   Description	added	—	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.
   CVSS	added	—	AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
   Weakness type (CWE)	added	—	CWE-269
   Weakness type (CWE)	added	—	CWE-862
   Affected versions (publisher)	added	—	New affected value received. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/85xxx/CVE-2026-85990.json">CVE-2026-85990</a>
   Reference	added	—	https://github.com/Leantime/leantime/commit/5605e5ee86bbd01acb85c6b5d8fb337faf8bcf02
   Reference	added	—	https://github.com/Leantime/leantime/commit/7ebf7a9517e2aaa05ec15b8130ab1841a4bde43e
   Reference	added	—	https://github.com/Leantime/leantime/pull/3583
   Reference	added	—	https://github.com/Leantime/leantime/pull/3797
   Reference	added	—	https://github.com/Leantime/leantime/releases/tag/v3.10.0
   Reference	added	—	https://github.com/Leantime/leantime/security/advisories/GHSA-54mm-6729-r5wp
   Reference	added	—	https://github.com/Leantime/leantime/security/advisories/GHSA-54mm-6729-r5wp

   Source identifier: security-advisories@github.com