CVE-2026-25876: Prasklatechnology Placipy Auth Bypass Flaw

CVE-2026-25876 Overview

CVE-2026-25876 is a Broken Access Control vulnerability affecting PlaciPy, a placement management system designed for educational institutions. The vulnerability exists in version 1.0.0 where the backend/src/routes/results.routes.ts file verifies authentication but fails to enforce object-level authorization (ownership checks). This allows authenticated users to access data belonging to other users, such as retrieving all results for any assessment regardless of ownership.

Critical Impact

Authenticated attackers can bypass authorization controls to access sensitive assessment data belonging to other users, potentially exposing student placement records and evaluation results across the entire system.

Affected Products

• Prasklatechnology PlaciPy version 1.0.0

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-02-09 - CVE CVE-2026-25876 published to NVD
• 2026-02-11 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-25876

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability falls under CWE-862 (Missing Authorization), a category of broken access control flaws where an application fails to verify whether a user is authorized to perform a specific action or access particular resources. In the case of PlaciPy, while the application correctly implements authentication to verify user identity, it neglects to implement object-level authorization checks that would ensure users can only access their own data.

The flaw exists in the results routing module (backend/src/routes/results.routes.ts), which processes requests for assessment results. When an authenticated user requests results data, the system confirms the user is logged in but does not validate whether that user has the right to view the specific results being requested. This creates an Insecure Direct Object Reference (IDOR) condition where any authenticated user can enumerate and retrieve results belonging to other users.

Root Cause

The root cause is the absence of ownership validation logic in the results routes handler. The application architecture separates authentication (verifying who the user is) from authorization (verifying what the user can access), but only implements the former. The routing code processes result retrieval requests without comparing the requesting user's identity against the owner of the requested resources. This is a common oversight in application development where developers assume authentication alone provides sufficient access control.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for this vulnerability is network-based, requiring an attacker to have valid credentials to the PlaciPy system. Once authenticated, an attacker can manipulate API requests to the results endpoint to enumerate and retrieve assessment results for any user in the system. The attack requires low privileges (standard user account) and no user interaction, making it straightforward to exploit.

An attacker could iterate through assessment identifiers or user identifiers in API requests to systematically extract all stored results data. In an educational placement context, this could expose sensitive information including student performance evaluations, placement outcomes, and assessment scores across the entire institution.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-25876

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual patterns of API requests to results endpoints from single user sessions, particularly sequential enumeration of resource identifiers
• Access logs showing authenticated users retrieving results for assessments they did not participate in or own
• Elevated query volumes against the results database tables from web application service accounts
• Anomalous data export patterns indicating bulk retrieval of assessment records

Detection Strategies

• Implement API request logging and analysis to identify users accessing resources outside their normal scope
• Deploy application-layer monitoring to flag requests where the authenticated user ID does not match the owner of requested resources
• Utilize web application firewalls (WAF) with rules to detect and block IDOR enumeration patterns
• Enable SentinelOne Singularity Platform to monitor for suspicious application behavior and unauthorized data access patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

• Establish baseline metrics for normal user access patterns to results endpoints
• Configure alerts for users accessing abnormally high numbers of unique assessment results
• Monitor for sequential or predictable patterns in resource identifier access that indicate enumeration attempts
• Review access logs regularly for evidence of horizontal privilege escalation attempts

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-25876

Immediate Actions Required

• Review and restrict access to the PlaciPy results API endpoints to essential users only until patching is complete
• Implement additional authorization middleware or proxy-level access controls as a temporary measure
• Audit access logs to determine if the vulnerability has already been exploited
• Contact the vendor or monitor the GitHub Security Advisory for patch availability and updates

Patch Information

Organizations using PlaciPy version 1.0.0 should consult the vendor's GitHub Security Advisory for official patch information and upgrade guidance. The fix requires implementing proper object-level authorization checks in the results routing module to ensure users can only access their own assessment data.

Workarounds

• Implement a reverse proxy or API gateway with custom authorization rules that validate resource ownership before forwarding requests to PlaciPy
• Modify the application source code (if accessible) to add ownership verification in the results.routes.ts file before the vendor releases an official patch
• Restrict network access to the PlaciPy application to trusted internal networks only, limiting exposure to potential attackers
• Consider temporarily disabling the results API functionality if not critical to operations until a patch is available