Description

In JetBrains YouTrack before 2026.2.19656 app permission bypass allowed privilege escalation via project tab

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "6.4",
  "pubDate": "2026-11-06T11:17:13.067Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-11-06T11:17:13.067Z",
  "executiveSummary": "A critical security vulnerability identified in JetBrains YouTrack, prior to version 2026.2.19656, involves an improper authorization mechanism within the application's project management interface.\nThe vulnerability is categorized as an application permission bypass, which effectively allows an authenticated user with lower privileges to escalate their access rights.\nBy manipulating requests related to the project tab, an attacker can bypass intended permission checks, potentially gaining unauthorized administrative or elevated project-level control.\nThis flaw poses a significant risk to organizational data integrity and confidentiality, as it enables unauthorized modifications or access to sensitive project data that should otherwise be restricted.\nThe exploit requires an authenticated user account within the YouTrack environment but does not necessarily require high-level administrative credentials to initiate, making it a serious concern for enterprise deployments.\nSuccessful exploitation results in unauthorized privilege escalation, allowing the adversary to perform actions outside their assigned security scope.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability resides within the project management module of JetBrains YouTrack, specifically concerning how the application handles requests originating from the project tab interface.\nThe root cause is an insecure authorization check that fails to properly validate the user's current session permissions before processing specific data-access or configuration requests associated with project-specific components.\nIn a typical attack flow, an authenticated attacker intercepts or crafts specific HTTP requests directed at the backend controllers responsible for managing project tab configurations.\nBecause the server-side logic fails to enforce strict access control lists (ACLs) or role-based access control (RBAC) checks during these interactions, the application inadvertently processes requests for restricted operations.\nSpecifically, the vulnerability allows an attacker to bypass the security constraints designed to prevent unauthorized project modifications.\nBy submitting a specially crafted request, the attacker can force the application to execute commands or reveal information that the user's identity is not permitted to access under normal security policy configurations.\nThe exploitation method relies on the server's failure to verify the context of the requested action against the user's defined project permissions.\nThis behavior exposes a flaw in the application's authorization workflow where the backend trusts user-supplied input regarding project-level operations without performing sufficient secondary validation.\nThe vulnerable component is identified within the web application's permission management framework, which handles the rendering and interaction logic for the project tab.\nAffected versions include all iterations of JetBrains YouTrack prior to 2026.2.19656.\nPost-exploitation impact includes unauthorized modification of project settings, potential information disclosure of project-related sensitive data, and the ability to perform administrative functions that deviate from established organizational security posture.\nThe vulnerability is remotely exploitable for any authenticated user, requiring no additional network configuration beyond standard access to the YouTrack instance."
}