CVE-2026-25233: Pear Pearweb Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2026-25233 Overview

CVE-2026-25233 is an authorization bypass vulnerability affecting PEAR Pearweb, the framework and distribution system for reusable PHP components. A logic bug in the roadmap role check allows non-lead maintainers to create, update, or delete roadmaps, bypassing intended access controls. This issue affects versions prior to 1.33.0.

Critical Impact

Unauthorized users with non-lead maintainer roles can manipulate roadmap data, potentially disrupting project planning and introducing malicious modifications to development timelines.

Affected Products

• PEAR Pearweb versions prior to 1.33.0
• Applications and services utilizing vulnerable PEAR Pearweb installations
• PHP-based projects depending on PEAR components with affected Pearweb integration

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-02-03 - CVE-2026-25233 published to NVD
• 2026-02-05 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-25233

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability stems from an improper operator logic error (CWE-783) in the role verification mechanism for roadmap management functionality. The flawed authorization check fails to properly validate whether a user possesses lead maintainer privileges before permitting roadmap operations. As a result, authenticated users with lower-privilege maintainer roles can perform actions that should be restricted exclusively to lead maintainers.

The network-accessible nature of this vulnerability means that any authenticated user with basic maintainer credentials can remotely exploit this flaw without requiring additional attack complexity. While the vulnerability does not allow data exfiltration directly, it enables unauthorized modification of roadmap data, representing a significant integrity impact to project management workflows.

Root Cause

The root cause is a logic bug in the authorization code that performs the role check for roadmap operations. The conditional logic fails to correctly distinguish between lead maintainers and non-lead maintainers, allowing the latter to pass authorization checks that should restrict their access. This is classified under CWE-783 (Operator Precedence Logic Error), indicating that the boolean logic or operator precedence in the permission check is incorrectly implemented.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based and requires low-privilege authenticated access. An attacker would need to:

1. Authenticate to the PEAR Pearweb system with a non-lead maintainer account
2. Submit requests to roadmap management endpoints (create, update, or delete operations)
3. The flawed role check logic permits these operations despite insufficient privileges

The vulnerability exploits the authorization bypass by submitting standard roadmap management requests that would normally be rejected for non-lead maintainers. Due to the logic flaw, these requests are processed as if the user had lead maintainer privileges. For detailed technical information, refer to the GitHub Security Advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-25233

Indicators of Compromise

• Roadmap entries created, modified, or deleted by users without lead maintainer roles
• Audit log entries showing roadmap operations from unexpected user accounts
• Unexplained changes to project roadmaps without corresponding authorized activity

Detection Strategies

• Implement audit logging for all roadmap operations and review for anomalous activity patterns
• Monitor for roadmap modification requests originating from non-lead maintainer accounts
• Deploy application-level monitoring to flag authorization check bypasses in real-time

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging on roadmap management endpoints to capture all access attempts
• Establish baseline patterns for legitimate roadmap modifications and alert on deviations
• Configure alerting for multiple failed or unexpected roadmap operations from single accounts

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-25233

Immediate Actions Required

• Upgrade PEAR Pearweb to version 1.33.0 or later immediately
• Review audit logs to identify any unauthorized roadmap modifications made prior to patching
• Verify roadmap data integrity and restore from backups if unauthorized changes are detected

Patch Information

The vulnerability has been patched in PEAR Pearweb version 1.33.0. Organizations should upgrade to this version or later to remediate the authorization bypass. The patch corrects the logic error in the role check mechanism to properly enforce lead maintainer privileges for roadmap operations.

For additional details, consult the GitHub Security Advisory for GHSA-p92v-9j73-fxx3.

Workarounds

• Temporarily restrict access to roadmap management functionality at the network or application firewall level
• Implement additional server-side authorization checks at the web server or reverse proxy layer
• Limit maintainer accounts to only trusted personnel until the patch can be applied