decidim: Missing Authorization
CVE-2026-40870 is a high-severity missing authorization vulnerability in decidim, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. Affected decidim versions: > 0.31.0.rc1, < 0.31.1; >= 0.0.1, < 0.30.5. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.29% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Check which version of decidim you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
- Read the advisory on github.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
- Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Decidim | decidim | > 0.31.0.rc1, < 0.31.1; >= 0.0.1, < 0.30.5 | Not stated |
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- NoneNo account or login is needed.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
- Confidentiality
- HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
- Integrity
- NoneNothing can be modified.
- Availability
- NoneAvailability is not affected.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N. Scored by CNA (github.com).
Official description
Decidim is a participatory democracy framework. Starting in version 0.0.1 and prior to versions 0.30.5 and 0.31.1, the root level `commentable` field in the API allows access to all commentable resources within the platform, without any permission checks. All Decidim instances are impacted that have not secured the `/api` endpoint. The `/api` endpoint is publicly available with the default configuration. Versions 0.30.5 and 0.31.1 fix the issue. As a workaround, limit the scope to only authenticated users by limiting access to the `/api` endpoint. This would require custom code or installing the 3rd party module `Decidim::Apiauth`. With custom code, the `/api` endpoint can be limited to only authenticated users. The same configuration can be also used without the `allow` statements to disable all traffic to the the `/api` endpoint. When considering a workaround and the seriousness of the vulnerability, please consider the nature of the platform. If the platform is primarily serving public data, this vulnerability is not serious by its nature. If the platform is protecting some resources, e.g. inside private participation spaces, the vulnerability may expose some data to the attacker that is not meant public. For those who have enabled the organization setting "Force users to authenticate before access organization", the scope of this vulnerability is limited to the users who are allowed to log in to the Decidim platform. This setting was introduced in version 0.19.0 and it was applied to the `/api` endpoint in version 0.22.0.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Missing Authorization
The product does not perform an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Divide the product into anonymous, normal, privileged, and administrative areas. Reduce the attack surface by carefully mapping roles with data and functionality. Use role-based access control (RBAC) to enforce the roles at the appropriate boundaries. Note that this approach may not protect against horizontal authorization, i.e., it will not protect a user from attacking others with the same role.
- Ensure that access control checks are performed related to the business logic. These checks may be different than the access control checks that are applied to more generic resources such as files, connections, processes, memory, and database records. For example, a database may restrict access for medical records to a specific database user, but each record might only be intended to be accessible to the patient and the patient's doctor.
- Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid. For example, consider using authorization frameworks such as the JAAS Authorization Framework and the OWASP ESAPI Access Control feature.
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: yes, technical impact: partial).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Other vulnerabilities in decidim
- 8.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 8.7 High severity
- 7.1 High severity
- 7.1 High severity
- 7.4 High severity
Recent Missing Authorization vulnerabilities
- 7.1 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
Spotted an error? Tell us.