CVE-2026-94609: authentik: Privilege Escalation to Superuser via Group Hierarchy

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2026-94609 is a high (CVSS 8.8) Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in goauthentik authentik. EPSS estimates a 0.51% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 43.8% of scored vulnerabilities.

Timeline

1. 24-09-2026
   PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
2. 28-09-2026
   Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.

Description

authentik is an open-source identity provider. Prior to 2026.2.7, 2026.5.7, and 2026.8.2, an account with delegated permission to manage a group, group membership, or a user can grant superuser status to an account or assign an existing role to a group without holding the permissions that gate those privileges. Group hierarchy checks do not consistently account for superuser status inherited from ancestor groups, and role assignment to a group lacks the required authorization check. Only deployments that delegate these management capabilities to accounts that are not full administrators are affected. This issue is fixed in versions 2026.2.7, 2026.5.7, and 2026.8.2.

• CWE-269Improper Privilege ManagementThe product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.
• CWE-863Incorrect AuthorizationThe product performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action, but it does not correctly perform the check.