# CVE-2025-66296: Grav vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in Grav Admin: Missing Username Uniqueness Check Allows Admin Account Takeover

> A user with create permissions can take over admin accounts by creating duplicate usernames, leading to full administrator access.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 1 Dec 2025
- **Updated:** 2 Dec 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-cjcp-qxvg-4rjm

## What is CVE-2025-66296?

CVE-2025-66296 is a high-severity vulnerability in Getgrav Grav, published on 1 Dec 2025. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Grav is a file-based Web platform. Prior to 1.8.0-beta.27, a privilege escalation vulnerability exists in Grav’s Admin plugin due to the absence of username uniqueness validation when creating users. A user with the create user permission can create a new account using the same username as an existing administrator account, set a new password/email, and then log in as that administrator. This effectively allows privilege escalation from limited user-manager permissions to full administrator access. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.8.0-beta.27.

Weakness: CWE-266 (Incorrect Privilege Assignment)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-66296?

2 open source packages ship an affected version, including getgrav/grav. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `getgrav/grav` | Packagist | All versions | 1.8.0-beta.27 |
| `getgrav/grav` | Packagist | All versions | 1.8.0-beta.27 |

Products: Getgrav Grav.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-66296?

Upgrade getgrav/grav to 1.8.0-beta.27 or later.

## Is CVE-2025-66296 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2025-66296 exists.

## Other vulnerabilities in Getgrav Grav

- [CVE-2023-34251](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-34251/): Grav Server Side Template Injection vulnerability (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2025-46199](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-46199/): Cross-site scripting in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2021-47812](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-47812/): GravCMS 1.10.7 - Arbitrary YAML Write/Update (Unauthenticated) (2) (critical 9.3)
- [CVE-2025-66844](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-66844/): Grav may be vulnerable to SSRF attack via Twig Templates (critical 9.1)
- [CVE-2022-2073](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-2073/): Code Injection in getgrav/grav (critical 9.1)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-66296 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-66296 is a high-severity vulnerability in Getgrav Grav, published on 1 Dec 2025. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2025-66296 exists.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- getgrav/grav (Packagist): affected all versions; fixed in 1.8.0-beta.27
- getgrav/grav (Packagist): affected all versions; fixed in 1.8.0-beta.27

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-66296/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-66296/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-66296
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-66296
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-66296

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-66296/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.