CVE-2026-42176: Scoold: Persistent Admin Takeover by Overwriting the admins Configuration Setting via Forged JWT (missing `jti` validation)

Published May 8, 2026
·
Updated

Scoold is a Q&A and a knowledge sharing platform for teams. Prior to version 1.67.0, Scoold allows the admins configuration value to be modified through /api/config/set/admins with a forged Bearer token that is accepted as an admin API token. Once that setting is changed, the target email address is written to the application configuration file. The change does not become active immediately in the current process, because the ADMINS set is loaded once at startup. After a Scoold restart, though, the selected user is recognized as an administrator and gains access to the admin panel. This issue gives an attacker a reliable persistence path: write their own email into scoold.admins, wait for a restart or trigger one operationally, and the account comes back as admin. This issue has been patched in version 1.67.0.

Affected Software

1 affected component
erudika scoold<1.67.0

Event History

May 8, 2026
CVE Published
via MITRE·07:16 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·07:16 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness
Data Sourced
via NVD·08:16 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2026-42176?

The severity of CVE-2026-42176 is critical as it allows for persistent admin takeover due to a misconfiguration in JWT validation.

2

How do I fix CVE-2026-42176?

To fix CVE-2026-42176, upgrade Scoold to version 1.67.0 or later where the vulnerability is patched.

3

What software is affected by CVE-2026-42176?

CVE-2026-42176 affects Erudika Scoold versions prior to 1.67.0.

4

What is the impact of CVE-2026-42176?

The impact of CVE-2026-42176 is that an attacker can gain unauthorized access and modify the admin configuration settings.

5

Is CVE-2026-42176 related to JWT security?

Yes, CVE-2026-42176 is related to JWT security due to missing validation of the `jti` claim which allows exploitation.

Contact

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