CVE-2025-66296: Grav vulnerable to Privilege Escalation in Grav Admin: Missing Username Uniqueness Check Allows Admin Account Takeover
Summary A privilege escalation vulnerability exists in Grav’s Admin plugin due to the absence of username uniqueness validation when creating users. A user with the create user permission can create a new account using the same username as an existing administrator account, set a new password/email, and then log in as that administrator. This effectively allows privilege escalation from limited user-manager permissions to full administrator access.
Steps to Reproduce 1. Make sure you have two accounts: an admin and a user with create user privilege 2. In the user account, navigate to /grav-admin/admin/accounts/users and click "Add" 3. Enter the name of the admin, complete registration and observe that the existing admin’s email is changed to the value you provided. 4. Log out from user account log in as admin with new credentials
Impact 1. Full admin takeover by any user with create user permission. 2. Ability to change admin credentials, install/remove plugins, read or modify site data, and execute any action available to an admin. 3. Severity: High/Critical.
PoC https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/3ab0a7d6-5055-41be-9e0e-2bd6ca359b37
Other sources
Grav is a file-based Web platform. Prior to 1.8.0-beta.27, a privilege escalation vulnerability exists in Grav’s Admin plugin due to the absence of username uniqueness validation when creating users. A user with the create user permission can create a new account using the same username as an existing administrator account, set a new password/email, and then log in as that administrator. This effectively allows privilege escalation from limited user-manager permissions to full administrator access. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.8.0-beta.27.
— MITRE
Affected Software
Remediation
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2025-66296?
CVE-2025-66296 has been classified as a privilege escalation vulnerability.
How do I fix CVE-2025-66296?
To fix CVE-2025-66296, upgrade the Grav Admin plugin to version 1.8.0-beta.27 or later.
What causes CVE-2025-66296?
CVE-2025-66296 is caused by the lack of username uniqueness validation when creating new user accounts in the Grav Admin plugin.
Who is affected by CVE-2025-66296?
Users of the Grav Admin plugin prior to version 1.8.0-beta.27 are affected by CVE-2025-66296.
What platforms are impacted by CVE-2025-66296?
CVE-2025-66296 impacts the Grav Admin plugin used in the Grav file-based web platform.