Description

Unauthenticated Broken Access Control in Altair <= 5.2.2 versions.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "6.5",
  "pubDate": "2026-08-20T12:16:32.027Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-08-20T12:16:32.027Z",
  "executiveSummary": "An unauthenticated broken access control vulnerability has been identified in Altair versions 5.2.2 and prior. This security flaw allows remote, unauthenticated threat actors to bypass standard authorization mechanisms and interact with restricted application endpoints and functionalities directly. The impact of this vulnerability encompasses unauthorized data exposure, potential modification of sensitive system configurations, and complete compromise of application integrity depending on the targeted component. The affected systems include all deployments running vulnerable versions of Altair where access controls fail to properly validate the session state or identity of incoming HTTP requests prior to executing privileged operations. The risk implications are severe, as exploitation requires zero prior authentication or privileged access, lowering the attack barrier significantly for malicious actors operating over the network. Remediation requires updating the affected product to a patched version or applying strict network-level access controls to restrict exposure of sensitive endpoints to trusted origins only.",
  "technicalDetails": "The root cause of this vulnerability stems from an absence of proper authorization checks and session validation routines within the access control framework of Altair versions 5.2.2 and prior. Specifically, sensitive functions and application programming interface endpoints fail to enforce authentication tokens or verify user privilege levels before processing requests, allowing any arbitrary network client to invoke restricted operations.\nThe vulnerable component encompasses the routing and access control modules of the Altair application, which improperly handle incoming requests lacking valid security context. Because the application trusts requests made to these sensitive endpoints without validating user identity or permissions, the security boundary is effectively bypassed.\nExploitation occurs over the network without requiring any authentication requirements or privilege requirements. An attacker crafts malicious HTTP requests targeting restricted endpoints that are normally reserved for authenticated administrators or authorized users. Upon receipt, the application processes the request and executes the underlying functionality without challenging the origin for credentials or session identifiers.\nThe attack flow typically proceeds as follows: First, the reconnaissance phase identifies exposed Altair instances running version 5.2.2 or earlier. Second, the attacker sends specially crafted requests directly to sensitive, unauthenticated endpoints. Third, the vulnerable application executes the requested operations, returning sensitive data or performing unauthorized state changes. The post-exploitation impact includes unauthorized information disclosure, privilege escalation, or systemic disruption of the application environment."
}