Auth bypass in Akaunting

CVE-2026-16772

In Akaunting versions <= 3.1.21, low‑privileged authenticated users can modify their own account to assign themselves the admin role ID, granting full administrator privileges. This vulnerability is caused by a flaw in the `UpdateUser` job, which processes user-supplied role assignments via an unconditional `roles()->sync()` call without verifying whether the caller is authorized to manage roles. Users only require the default `update-auth-profile` permission to access the self-update path and assign themselves as admins. The API endpoints are properly permission‑gated and are not affected by this issue.

Vulnerability class: Privilege Escalation

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 8.1 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N.

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-16772?
CVE-2026-16772 is a high-severity vulnerability in Akaunting, classified under Improper Privilege Management. CVSS score: 8.1/10. Published 2026-08-14.
How severe is CVE-2026-16772?
High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 8.1 out of 10.