Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:NSummary
CVE-2026-32726 is a high-severity Incorrect Authorization (CWE-863) vulnerability in Scitokens Scitokens Cpp Library. Its CVSS base score is 8.1 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked at the 19th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to AC-24 (Access Control Decisions) and AC-25 (Reference Monitor) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2026-32726 is an authorization bypass vulnerability in the SciTokens C++ library (scitokens-cpp), a minimal implementation for creating and using SciTokens from C or C++. In versions prior to 1.4.1, the library's enforcer performs path-based scope validation using a simple string-prefix comparison without enforcing path-segment boundaries. This allows a token authorized for a specific path to incorrectly grant access to sibling paths that share the same prefix, as the check does not require delimiter separation. The issue is classified under CWE-863 (Incorrect Authorization) with a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.1 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N).
An attacker with low privileges (PR:L) can exploit this over the network (AV:N) with low complexity and no user interaction required. By obtaining a valid SciTokens token scoped to a path prefix, such as "/data/special/", the attacker could access unauthorized sibling resources like "/data/specialist/" or "/data/specialops/". Successful exploitation enables high confidentiality and integrity impacts (C:H/I:H), potentially allowing unauthorized data access or modification within the affected SciTokens-protected services, while availability remains unaffected (A:N).
The vulnerability has been patched in scitokens-cpp version 1.4.1, as detailed in the GitHub security advisory (GHSA-q5fm-fgvx-32jq) and the fixing commit (decfe2f00cb9cabbf1e17a3bb2cd4ea1bbbd8a73). Security practitioners should upgrade to version 1.4.1 or later to mitigate the issue, and review token scopes in deployments using earlier versions for potential over-permissions.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-17563
Vulnerability Data
SciTokens C++ is a minimal library for creating and using SciTokens from C or C++. Prior to version 1.4.1, scitokens-cpp is vulnerable to an authorization bypass in path-based scope validation. The enforcer used a simple string-prefix comparison when checking whether…
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a requested resource path was covered by a token's authorized scope path. Because the check did not require a path-segment boundary, a token scoped to one path could incorrectly authorize access to sibling paths that merely started with the same prefix. This issue has been patched in version 1.4.1.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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- 5 hardening rules · 3 OS baselines
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Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
AC-3 directly requires correct enforcement of authorization decisions on every access request, structurally preventing incorrect checks.
AC-24 ensures access-control decisions are made and applied consistently, reducing the chance of an incorrect authorization result.
A reference monitor that is always invoked and tamper-proof forces every authorization decision through a verified, correct path.
Least-privilege assignments shrink the set of authorizations that must be checked correctly, limiting exposure to flawed checks.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Defining, enforcing, and reviewing access authorizations and least privilege directly prevents incorrect authorization checks.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Requiring consistency between access rights and classification plus formal approval steps ensures that the authorization logic correctly distinguishes between entities that should and should not be granted access.
Enforcing policy-driven approval and role-change reviews stops incorrect or stale authorization decisions from remaining in effect after job changes or terminations.
By tying access rights to identity, device, location and classification, the control reduces the likelihood that an authorization decision will be based on an incorrect or bypassed policy.
Hardening callouts derived
Configuration rules from DISA STIG baselines that bear on weaknesses of the type cited by this CVE. Each rule is shown with the relationship its mapping actually records, against the CWE it was authored against. Derived via CVE→CWE over `controls_xwalks` (authoritative rows only; rows rated `none` are excluded).
Oracle Linux 8 (2 rules)
- V-248581 OL 8 must require users to provide a password for privilege escalation. prevents CWE-863
- V-252656 The OL 8 operating system must not be configured to bypass password requirements for privilege escalation. prevents CWE-863
RHEL 7 (1 rule)
- V-204430 The Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating system must be configured so that users must re-authenticate for privilege escalation. prevents CWE-863
RHEL 8 (1 rule)
- V-251712 The RHEL 8 operating system must not be configured to bypass password requirements for privilege escalation. prevents CWE-863