CVE
OpenEMR server-side request forgery via user settings endpoint
Affects OpenEMR before 8.5.0, where a low-privilege authenticated user can override system configuration via user_settings.php. CVSS rates it high (7.1). Fixed in 8.5.0.
Written by anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5 from the sources below. Verify against them.
- Exploited
- No known exploitation
- Fix
- Fixed in 8.5.0
- Who is exposed
- Specific setups only
Do first: Check whether your setup matches what the bug needs. The external-service variants (CouchDB, eRx, Easipro, phiMail, SMTP) require that the integration is configured with a real credential in globals. V1 (facility isolation bypass) requires restrict_user_facility to be enabled.
- Published
- Last modified
- Whether it needs action now or is a reference record, by fixed rules, with why. Last checked is when cve.now last re-read it.What do these mean? →
- Reference
- Last checked
- FIRST's estimate of the chance attackers exploit it in the next 30 days, updated daily.What do these mean? →
- 0.35% · 29th percentile
- A 0-100 score for how much a CVE matters across the industry: exploitation, exposure, how widely the software is used, severity and whether a fix exists.What do these mean? →
- 15/100 · provisional
- How many real-world setups can hit the bug, from the vendor's advisory and CISA data. It does not know your setup.What do these mean? →
- Specific setups only
- Whether working attack code is public (Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei or GitHub). Public code makes attacks easier.What do these mean? →
- None on Exploit-DB, Metasploit or GitHub
Summary
OpenEMR before 8.5.0 contains a missing authorization vulnerability in library/ajax/user_settings.php that lets any authenticated user persist arbitrary global configuration overrides. Attackers can POST global:-prefixed keys to re-point external service hosts like CouchDB, eRx, phiMail, or SMTP to attacker-controlled servers, exfiltrating system credentials and patient PHI.
Who should check
Teams running OpenEMR before 8.5.0, especially those with CouchDB, eRx, EASI Pro, phiMail or SMTP integrations configured, and any site where users can log in.
Read the source excerpt
“OpenEMR before 8.5.0 contains a missing authorization vulnerability”
cve.now Index
- Exploitation?/40Unknown. No CISA SSVC exploitation rating yet
- Exposure8/25Specific setups only, reachable over the network
- Reach?/20Unknown. No tracked technology or package matched
- Severity7.1/10CVSS 7.1
- No patch0/5No signal
What would change the score
- Would score about 65 if added to CISA KEV
- Would score about 60 if CISA's SSVC rates exploitation active
- Would score about 22 if CISA's SSVC rates it automatable
What to do
Check whether your setup matches what the bug needs.
The external-service variants (CouchDB, eRx, Easipro, phiMail, SMTP) require that the integration is configured with a real credential in globals. V1 (facility isolation bypass) requires restrict_user_facility to be enabled.Upgrade to a fixed version: 8.5.0.
Check your systems with an agent
Paste this into a coding or ops agent. It checks your systems read-only and reports a table per asset.
Check whether my systems are affected by CVE-2026-126461 (OpenEMR before 8.5.0 Missing Authorization via user_settings.php Global Override), using the cve.now data below.
Rules: work read-only. Do not run exploit code, proof-of-concept scripts or scanners that send attack payloads, and do not change any configuration, package, image or deployment. Report findings only.
What cve.now has for CVE-2026-126461 (entry last updated 2026-11-13):
Affected:
- openemr openemr: fixed in 8.5.0
Fixed versions: 8.5.0.
Conditions (all must be true for the bug to be hit):
- The external-service variants (CouchDB, eRx, Easipro, phiMail, SMTP) require that the integration is configured with a real credential in globals. (source: https://github.com/openemr/openemr/security/advisories/GHSA-prmv-3m3j-9v7j)
- V1 (facility isolation bypass) requires restrict_user_facility to be enabled. (source: https://github.com/openemr/openemr/security/advisories/GHSA-prmv-3m3j-9v7j)
Setup: unknown whether the bug needs a non-default feature or setting. Check the advisory.
Attacker needs: network access, low-privilege login, no user action.
CISA KEV: CVE-2026-126461 is not listed as of cve.now's last read.
This KEV status is for CVE-2026-126461 only. If you also check another CVE, look up its own KEV status; never assume it from this one.
How to check:
- Installed software: check what is actually running, not what a repo declares. Read the version from each host, container image and Kubernetes node (the binary's version output, the OS package database, image layers), and check whether the conditions above hold there. Distribution packages may carry a backported fix under an older version number; confirm against the distribution's own advisory.
Verify against the linked advisories before concluding, and cite the date you read each one:
- https://github.com/openemr/openemr/security/advisories/GHSA-prmv-3m3j-9v7j
- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openemr-before-8.5.0-missing-authorization-via-user-settings-php-global-override
Do not conclude an asset is unaffected unless you checked it and the evidence covers both its version and the conditions above. If you could not check something, mark it unknown and say what is missing.
Report a table with one row per asset and these columns: Asset | Version or build | Status (affected, fixed, not applicable, unknown) | Compensating controls | Exposure (internet-facing, internal, none) | Evidence | Next action.
Entry: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-126461
For follow-up questions, use the cve.now MCP server at https://mcp.cve.now/mcp (no authentication), for example execute with name cve.get and arguments {"id": "CVE-2026-126461"}.Timeline
- CVE published
- First seen by cve.now
Affected versions
- openemr openemr
fixed in 8.5.0
Evidence 4
Vendor advisory · 1
Establishes: Affected and fixed versions.
- Advisory
CVE record · 2
Establishes: The identifier and description.
- Record
- Record
Corrections
None so far.
Something wrong on this page? Report an error. Every fix is listed here.
Questions about CVE-2026-126461
Is CVE-2026-126461 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: cve.now feed data
What does this mean?
A low-privilege authenticated user can override system configuration through user_settings.php and redirect external service connections to attacker-controlled servers. The advisory says this can expose system credentials and patient PHI.Source: github.com
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-126461?
openemr: before 8.5.0.Source: cve.now feed data
Am I affected, and how do I check?
OpenEMR versions before 8.5.0 are affected. The facility isolation bypass variant requires restrict_user_facility to be enabled, which the advisory describes as the standard multi-facility deployment. The external-service variants (CouchDB, eRx, Easipro, phiMail, SMTP) additionally require the integration to be configured with a real credential in globals. Check the installed OpenEMR version and these settings to compare your setup with the stated conditions.Source: github.com
How do I fix CVE-2026-126461?
Upgrade to OpenEMR 8.5.0 or later. The facts provided do not list vendor patch identifiers or a workaround.Source: github.com