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Vulnerabilities

Vulnerability · CVE-2026-40172

authentik is an open-source identity provider.

Published May 22, 2026 · catalog updated Jul 23, 2026 · authentik is an open-source

Check if you run it

No confirmed exploitation is on record for CVE-2026-40172. EPSS is 0.72%. Act only if a listed version of authentik is an open-source is installed.

Gaps on this record

  • The stored product name is a package slug. The name on this page is taken from the title (authentik is an open-source).
  • No version range is stored. A customer cannot check an installed version against this record.
  • No vendor fix or required action is stored. Compare the linked advisory before you change production.
Severity
High8.1
Known exploitation
Not in CISA/VulnCheck KEV
EPSS
0.72%
Remediation
Advisory link
Affected products
See sources for product scope

authentik is an open-source identity provider. In versions prior to 2025.12.5 and 2026.2.0-rc1 through 2026.2.2, the PATCH /api/v3/core/users/{pk}/ API allows a caller with change_user on a target user to assign arbitrary groups through UserSerializer, including groups with is_superuser=True, without requiring enable_group_superuser, leading to privilege escalation. This bypasses the stricter permission model enforced in group-management paths and enables delegated user-management permissions to escalate target users to administrator-equivalent privilege. Users with permissions to update groups or permissions to update users are able to add themselves or other users they have permissions on to users which have superuser permissions. This issue has been fixed in versions 22025.12.5 and 2026.2.3.

No affected version ranges are stored yet. Use the vendor advisory before you decide this record does not apply.

How to fix CVE-2026-40172

What to do

Three questions, each answered from this record only. Confirm the vendor advisory before you patch.

Should you patch?

No confirmed exploitation is on record for CVE-2026-40172. EPSS is 0.72%. Act only if a listed version of authentik is an open-source is installed.

Which versions are affected?

Affected version ranges are not on this record. Compare the installed version with the linked vendor advisory before you change production.

What should an analyst verify?

CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management. EPSS 0.72%. There is no CISA KEV listing. No Exploit-DB or Metasploit reference is linked. Use the source links for the original advisory.

Code

The project this record applies to. Exploit listings stay in References.

Timeline

Detection, updates, and resolution for this record.

  1. May 22, 2026 · NIST NVD

    Detected

    authentik is an open-source identity provider. In versions prior to 2025.12.5 and 2026.2.0-rc1 through 2026.2.2, the PATCH /api/v3/core/users/{pk}/ API allows a caller with change_user on a target user to assign arbitrary groups through UserSerializer, including groups with is_superuser=True, without requiring enable_group_superuser, leading to privilege escalation. This bypasses the stricter perm

  2. Jul 23, 2026 · NIST NVD

    Updated

    authentik is an open-source identity provider. In versions prior to 2025.12.5 and 2026.2.0-rc1 through 2026.2.2, the PATCH /api/v3/core/users/{pk}/ API allows a caller with change_user on a target user to assign arbitrary groups through UserSerializer, including groups with is_superuser=True, without requiring enable_group_superuser, leading to privilege escalation. This bypasses the stricter perm

Sources

  • CVE.orgVulnerability recordCVE-2026-40172

    Official CVE identifier

    cve.org
  • FIRST EPSSExploitation probabilityCVE-2026-40172

    30-day exploitation probability 0.7%

    first.org
  • NIST NVDVulnerability recordCVE-2026-40172

    authentik is an open-source identity provider. In versions prior to 2025.12.5 and 2026.2.0-rc1 through 2026.2.2, the PATCH /api/v3/core/users/{pk}/ API allows a caller with change_user on a target user to assign arbitrary groups through UserSerializer, including groups with is_su

    nvd.nist.gov

References

Freshness

Last verified in this catalog Oct 18, 2026. Significant claims (KEV, EPSS, CVSS, affected ranges) come from the source rows above — open the original publisher for the authoritative advisory.