Privilege escalation in Formwork Project
CVE-2026-27198
Formwork is a flat file-based Content Management System (CMS). In versions 2.0.0 through 2.3.3, the application fails to properly enforce role-based authorization during account creation. Although the system validates that the specified role exists, it does not verify whether the current user has sufficient privileges to assign highly privileged roles such as admin. As a result, an authenticated user with the editor role can create a new account with administrative privileges, leading to full administrative access and complete compromise of the CMS. This issue has been fixed in version 2.3.4.
Vulnerability class: Privilege Escalation
EPSS: 0.004 (34.1th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 8.8 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
Affected products
- Formwork_project Formwork
- Getformwork Formwork — versions >= 2.0.0, < 2.3.4
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- security-advisories@github.com (x_refsource_CONFIRM, Patch, Vendor Advisory)
- security-advisories@github.com (Patch, x_refsource_MISC)
- security-advisories@github.com (Product, x_refsource_MISC, Release Notes)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-27198?
- CVE-2026-27198 is a high-severity vulnerability in Formwork Project, classified under Improper Privilege Management. CVSS score: 8.8/10. Published 2026-02-21.
- How severe is CVE-2026-27198?
- High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 8.8 out of 10.