# CVE-2026-85990: Leantime: Any Authenticated User Can Self-Escalate to Admin via Unauthorized JSON-RPC Methods

> Authenticated users can escalate to admin or manage plugins by calling unprotected JSON-RPC methods in Leantime.

- **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:** 13 Oct 2026
- **Updated:** 16 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-54mm-6729-r5wp

## What is CVE-2026-85990?

CVE-2026-85990 is a high-severity vulnerability in leantime, published on 13 Oct 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Leantime is an open source project management system. Prior to 3.10.0, for the provisionally grouped account-creation and plugin-management surfaces, Leantime's JSON-RPC dispatcher in app/Domain/Api/Controllers/Jsonrpc.php exposes public API service methods, while PermissionEnforcer::enforce allows methods that lack a RequiresPermission attribute. A low-privilege authenticated user with an ordinary browser session can send the required X-Requested-With: XMLHttpRequest header and call leantime.rpc.api.api.createApiKeyWithProjects, which reaches Api::createApiKeyWithProjects, with an attacker-chosen role to create an interactive administrator account. The same missing per-method authorization exposes Plugins::installPlugin, Plugins::enablePlugin, Plugins::disablePlugin, and Plugins::removePlugin to ordinary authenticated users, permitting unauthorized plugin management. The complete provisionally grouped issue is fixed in version 3.10.0.

Weakness: CWE-862 (Missing Authorization), CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-85990?

2 open source packages ship an affected version, including leantime/leantime.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `leantime/leantime` | Packagist | All versions | 3.10.0 |
| `leantime/leantime` | Packagist | All versions | 3.10.0 |

## How do I fix CVE-2026-85990?

Upgrade leantime/leantime to 3.10.0 or later.

## Is CVE-2026-85990 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-85990 exists.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-85990 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-85990 is a high-severity vulnerability in leantime, published on 13 Oct 2026. 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-2026-85990 exists.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- leantime/leantime (Packagist): affected all versions; fixed in 3.10.0
- leantime/leantime (Packagist): affected all versions; fixed in 3.10.0

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-2026-85990/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-85990/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-85990
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-85990
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-85990

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-85990/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.