CVE-2026-40172: goauthentik authentik · Improper Privilege Management
Affects goauthentik authentikSource CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 8.1 High : upgrade to 2026.2.3 or 2025.12.5 soon.
Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 11:52 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.5% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 45% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
- Patch
- Available – fixed in 2026.2.3, 2025.12.5
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 22 May 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: 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 30 Oct 2026.
What to do
Upgrade authentik to 2026.2.3 or 2025.12.5; github.com/goauthentik/authentik to 2025.12.5.
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| goauthentikauthentik | Affected
| Fixed in
|
| goauthentikauthentik | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Gogithub.com/goauthentik/authentikpkg:golang/github.com/goauthentik/authentikOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.
AI-suggested
Upgrade authentik to version 2025.12.5 or later, or to version 2026.2.3 or later. These versions contain the fix that enforces the enable_group_superuser requirement and prevents unauthorized assignment of superuser groups via the PATCH user API. Patch status is confirmed fixed in these versions. No other mitigations are indicated.
Description
A privilege escalation vulnerability exists in authentik versions prior to 2025.12.5 and between 2026.2.0-rc1 and 2026.2.2. The PATCH /api/v3/core/users/{pk}/ API allows users with change_user permission on a target user to assign arbitrary groups, including those with superuser privileges, without requiring the enable_group_superuser flag. This bypasses stricter permission controls in group management and enables escalation to administrator-equivalent privileges. The issue is fixed in versions 2025.