CVE-2026-24039VulnerabilityPublished 22 Jan 2026

CVE-2026-24039: horilla · Improper Access Control

Affects horillaSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 4.3 Medium : upgrade to 1.5.0 when convenient.

Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

4.3Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 18% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 1.5.0

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: None
Integrity: Low
Availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: Low: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide basic user capabilities that could normally affect only settings and files owned by a user. Alternatively, an attacker with Low privileges may have the ability to cause an impact only to non-sensitive resources.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the impacted component.
Integrity: Low: Modification of data is possible, but the attacker does not have control over the consequence of a modification, or the amount of modification is limited. The data modification does not have a direct, serious impact on the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 22 Jan 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-25.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade horilla to 1.5.0.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
horilla-opensourcehorilla	Affected >=1.4.0 <1.5.0	Fixed in 1.5.0

AI-suggested

European organizations should immediately upgrade Horilla HRMS installations to version 1.5.0 or later, where the improper access control issue is fixed. Until upgrading is possible, implement compensating controls such as restricting access to the document approval interface at the network or application firewall level to only trusted administrator IPs or VPNs. Conduct thorough audits of document approval logs to detect any unauthorized approvals and revoke or revalidate suspicious documents. Enforce strict role-based access control (RBAC) policies and monitor user activity for anomalous behavior related to document management. Additionally, implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) for administrator accounts to reduce risk of privilege escalation. Regularly review and update HR process workflows to include manual verification steps for critical approvals. Finally, educate HR staff and employees about the risks of unauthorized approvals and encourage reporting of suspicious activities.

Description

CVE-2026-24039 is an improper access control vulnerability in Horilla HRMS version 1.4.0 that allows low-privileged employees to self-approve documents they upload. The approval UI is intended for administrators or high-privilege roles only, but insufficient server-side authorization lets standard employees alter approval status of their own documents. This undermines the integrity of HR processes by enabling unvetted document acceptance. The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 4.3 (medium severity) and does not require user interaction. It affects versions >=1.4.0 and <1.

Impact

For European organizations using Horilla HRMS, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to the integrity of HR workflows. Unauthorized self-approval of documents can lead to acceptance of fraudulent or unverified credentials, certifications, or other critical employee documentation. This could result in hiring unqualified personnel, regulatory compliance violations, and damage to organizational reputation. While the vulnerability does not directly impact confidentiality or availability, the integrity compromise can have downstream effects on operational security and trustworthiness of HR data. Organizations in regulated sectors such as finance, healthcare, and government are particularly vulnerable to compliance risks arising from manipulated HR records. The ease of exploitation by any employee without elevated privileges increases the likelihood of insider misuse or accidental abuse. Although no known exploits are currently active, the presence of this vulnerability in production environments should be treated seriously to prevent potential insider threats or targeted attacks leveraging this flaw.

CWE-284Improper Access Control (opens in a new tab)
Pillar weaknessCWE Top 25 (2025): #19OWASP Top 10 A01:2025: Broken Access Control (opens in a new tab)
The product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor.
MITRE discourages mapping vulnerabilities to this broad entry; the root cause is usually a more specific weakness.
Architecture and Design · Operation
Very carefully manage the setting, management, and handling of privileges. Explicitly manage trust zones in the software.
Architecture and Design · Separation of Privilege
Compartmentalize the system to have "safe" areas where trust boundaries can be unambiguously drawn. Do not allow sensitive data to go outside of the trust boundary and always be careful when interfacing with a compartment outside of the safe area.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Docker Security (opens in a new tab)
Third Party Javascript Management (opens in a new tab)
Virtual Patching (opens in a new tab)
Authorization (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V1.4.4 (opens in a new tab)
V1.4.5 (opens in a new tab)
V1.10.1 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Embedding Scripts within Scripts (opens in a new tab)
Modification of Windows Service Configuration (opens in a new tab)
Malicious Root Certificate (opens in a new tab)
Intent Spoof (opens in a new tab)
WebView Exposure (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 29 Jan 2026, 08:56 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-284

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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