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Link-share principal-type confusion enables cross-account team removal, bot takeover, and roster disclosure

High
kolaente published GHSA-32r8-5843-4qw2 Aug 4, 2026

Package

gomod code.vikunja.io/api (Go)

Affected versions

<= 2.4.0

Patched versions

None

Description

Summary

Vikunja's web.Auth interface (pkg/web/web.go, single method GetID() int64) is satisfied by BOTH *user.User and *models.LinkSharing. A link-share's GetID() returns the raw positive share.ID (pkg/models/link_sharing.go:83-85), which lives in the same positive autoincrement ID space as users.id. The safe negated form getUserID() = share.ID * -1 (link_sharing.go:126-128) exists but is NOT used at three permission sinks. As a result, a link-share principal with id N — which should have zero authority over teams or bot users — is treated as the user whose users.id == N at three permission checks that lack the a.(*LinkSharing) guard their sibling methods have. This is the same principal-type-confusion class as CVE-2026-68581 (GHSA-vvcv-vpph-h844), but at three code paths that advisory/fix never touched.

Root Cause

web.Auth is a one-method interface (GetID() int64). *LinkSharing.GetID() returns the raw positive share id. Three permission methods compare this raw id directly and omit the link-share type guard used elsewhere in the same files:

  1. TeamMember.CanDelete (pkg/models/team_members_permissions.go:31-40): the self-removal fast path if u.ID == a.GetID() { return true } (:36) executes before IsAdmin. IsAdmin (:48-51) is the ONLY place that rejects link shares (if _, is := a.(*LinkSharing); is { return false }, :50) — and it is never reached when the fast path returns true.
  2. BotUser.isOwner (pkg/models/bot_users_permissions.go:47-56): return u.BotOwnerID == a.GetID() (:55), used by CanRead/CanUpdate/CanDelete (:36-45). Unlike CanCreate (:27-30) which type-asserts a.(*user.User), these three paths have no principal guard.
  3. Team.CanRead (pkg/models/teams_permissions.go:68-78): matches membership on And("user_id = ?", a.GetID()) (:76) with no link-share guard, unlike sibling IsAdmin (:45-49, guard at :47).

Link-share JWTs reach these routes: SetupTokenMiddleware validates the signature only, GetAuthFromClaims returns *models.LinkSharing, and the /user//teams route groups add no link-share rejection. Link sharing is enabled by default (config.go ServiceEnableLinkSharing.setDefault(true)).

Impact

A link-share principal (obtainable from any public share link, or self-registered via a share on the attacker's own project) whose id N collides with a victim's users.id == N can, without being that user or any user:

  • Integrity (I:H): remove the victim from any team they belong to (DELETE /api/v1/teams/{T}/members/{username}) → revokes all project permissions the victim inherited through that team.
  • Availability/Integrity (A:H, I:H): enumerate the victim's bot users (GET /api/v1/user/botsbot_owner_id = a.GetID()), then disable/rename or permanently delete them (DELETE /api/v1/user/bots/{id}DeleteUser), destroying data owned solely by those bots.
  • Confidentiality (C:H): read the roster + metadata (name, description, full member list) of any team the colliding user belongs to (GET /api/v1/teams/{T}), plus read bot-user records via isOwner-gated reads.

Attack Chain

Sink 1 — TeamMember.CanDelete (integrity)

  1. Entry: POST /api/v1/shares/{hash}/auth → link-share JWT with id = N. Guard: JWT middleware — signature only. Bypass proof: GetAuthFromClaims returns *models.LinkSharing; no route-group link-share rejection on the /teams group.
  2. Action: DELETE /api/v1/teams/{T}/members/{usernameOfUserN} with the link-share bearer, targeting a team T (≥2 members) that user N belongs to. Guard: CanDeleteGetUserByUsername(tm.Username) returns user N, then u.ID == a.GetID() (team_members_permissions.go:36). Bypass proof: a.GetID() returns N (raw positive share.ID, link_sharing.go:84) == user N's id → true. No a.(*LinkSharing) check on this branch (only IsAdmin at :50 has it, never reached).
  3. Sink: Delete (team_members.go) removes user N from team T (last-member check passes when team has ≥2 members). Impact: victim loses all project access inherited through team T.

Sink 2 — BotUser.isOwner (bot takeover / destruction)

  1. Entry: link-share JWT id N (as above). Guard: signature-only; /user group adds no link-share reject.
  2. Enumerate: GET /api/v1/user/botsReadAll runs Where("bot_owner_id = ?", a.GetID()) = bots owned by user N. Bypass proof: a.GetID() = N; returns victim's bot ids self-contained (removes the id-guessing barrier).
  3. Sink: DELETE /api/v1/user/bots/{botId}CanDeleteisOwneru.BotOwnerID == a.GetID() (bot_users_permissions.go:55) → true; Delete calls DeleteUser. Bypass proof: no a.(*LinkSharing) guard here (Create-only, :28). Impact: disable/rename/permanently delete victim's bot automation identities.

Sink 3 — Team.CanRead (info disclosure)

  1. Entry: link-share JWT id N. Guard: signature-only; no reject on GET /teams/:team.
  2. Sink: GET /api/v1/teams/{T}CanRead runs Where("team_id=?", t.ID).And("user_id=?", a.GetID()).Get(tm) (teams_permissions.go:74-77). Bypass proof: a.GetID() = N matches user N's team_members row → can = true; no a.(*LinkSharing) check (contrast IsAdmin at :47). Impact: read roster + metadata of a team the link share is not part of.

Bypass Evidence

  • link_sharing.go:83-85 GetID() returns raw positive share.ID (NOT the negated getUserID() at :126-128).
  • team_members_permissions.go:36 raw u.ID == a.GetID() before IsAdmin; the LinkSharing guard sits at :50 on a branch never reached when the fast path returns true.
  • bot_users_permissions.go:55 raw u.BotOwnerID == a.GetID(); the a.(*user.User) guard at :28 is Create-only and NOT replicated on isOwner.
  • teams_permissions.go:76 raw a.GetID() in CanRead; sibling IsAdmin has the guard at :47, CanRead omits it.
  • All three sinks verified present on latest release tag v2.4.0 (git show v2.4.0:<file>). No fix commits touch these files between v2.4.0 and HEAD (the only post-tag commit to link_sharing.go, c580d51, merely shadows an embedded Update method).

Affected Versions

<= 2.4.0 (latest release; also present on HEAD of main). Requires default-enabled link sharing.

Exploitability Constraint (reflected in AC:H)

The attacker cannot freely choose the colliding id — link_shares.id is autoincrement. Exploitation is (a) opportunistic (a guest holding a share with id N attacks the user whose users.id == N) or (b) targeted (self-register and walk the autoincrement toward a chosen id; low-numbered shares collide with low-numbered/early/admin accounts). This is the identical constraint the accepted CVE-2026-68581 had; it affects target selection (AC), not reachability of the boundary crossing.

Suggested Fix

Add the link-share principal guard (if _, is := a.(*LinkSharing); is { return false }) — which IsAdmin/CanCreate already use — to all three sinks: the TeamMember.CanDelete self-removal fast path (before the u.ID == a.GetID() check), BotUser.isOwner, and Team.CanRead. Alternatively, resolve principals through getUserID() (negated id space) at every permission check so link-share ids can never collide with user ids.


Reported by zx (Jace) — GitHub: @manus-use

Severity

High

CVSS overall score

This score calculates overall vulnerability severity from 0 to 10 and is based on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS).
/ 10

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
High
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector: More severe the more the remote (logically and physically) an attacker can be in order to exploit the vulnerability.
Attack complexity: More severe for the least complex attacks.
Privileges required: More severe if no privileges are required.
User interaction: More severe when no user interaction is required.
Scope: More severe when a scope change occurs, e.g. one vulnerable component impacts resources in components beyond its security scope.
Confidentiality: More severe when loss of data confidentiality is highest, measuring the level of data access available to an unauthorized user.
Integrity: More severe when loss of data integrity is the highest, measuring the consequence of data modification possible by an unauthorized user.
Availability: More severe when the loss of impacted component availability is highest.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVE ID

CVE-2026-76216

Weaknesses

Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key

The system's authorization functionality does not prevent one user from gaining access to another user's data or record by modifying the key value identifying the data. Learn more on MITRE.

Access of Resource Using Incompatible Type ('Type Confusion')

The product allocates or initializes a resource such as a pointer, object, or variable using one type, but it later accesses that resource using a type that is incompatible with the original type. Learn more on MITRE.

Incorrect Authorization

The product performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action, but it does not correctly perform the check. Learn more on MITRE.

Credits