📄 Description (English)
CVAT is an open source interactive video and image annotation tool for computer vision. In versions 1.0.0 through 2.54.0, users that have the staff status may freely change their permissions, including giving themselves superuser status and joining the admin group, which gives them full access to the data in the CVAT instance. Version 2.55.0 fixes the issue. As a workaround, review the list of users with staff status and revoke it from any users that are not expected to have superuser privileges.
🤖 AI Executive Summary
CVE-2026-23526 is a critical privilege escalation vulnerability in CVAT versions 1.0.0-2.54.0 that allows staff users to elevate themselves to superuser status and gain full administrative access. This vulnerability poses significant risk to organizations using CVAT for computer vision annotation tasks, particularly those handling sensitive data in AI/ML pipelines. Immediate patching to version 2.55.0 or staff status revocation is essential to prevent unauthorized data access and system compromise.
📄 Description (Arabic)
🤖 AI Intelligence Analysis Analyzed: Apr 22, 2026 18:43
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia Impact Assessment
Saudi organizations leveraging CVAT for AI/ML projects—particularly in government AI initiatives, ARAMCO digital transformation programs, and research institutions—face significant risk. The vulnerability enables insider threats where staff members can escalate to full administrative control, compromising sensitive computer vision datasets used in autonomous systems, surveillance analytics, and critical infrastructure monitoring. Banking sector AI/ML teams and healthcare organizations using CVAT for medical imaging annotation are particularly vulnerable to data exfiltration and system compromise.
🏢 Affected Saudi Sectors
Government and Public Sector (AI initiatives, digital transformation)
Energy and Oil & Gas (ARAMCO, autonomous systems)
Research and Academic Institutions
Healthcare (medical imaging annotation)
Banking and Financial Services (AI/ML teams)
Telecommunications
Defense and Security
🎯 MITRE ATT&CK Techniques
T1548 - Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism
T1548.002 - Bypass User Account Control
T1078 - Valid Accounts
T1078.002 - Domain Accounts
T1098 - Account Manipulation
T1098.001 - Additional Cloud Credentials
T1136 - Create Account
T1136.001 - Local Account
T1547 - Boot or Logon Autostart Execution
T1547.001 - Registry Run Keys / Startup Folder
⚖️ Saudi Risk Score (AI)
8.2
/ 10.0
🔧 Remediation Steps (English)
IMMEDIATE ACTIONS:
1. Audit all users with staff status in CVAT instances and document their business justification
2. Revoke staff status from any users not requiring administrative privileges
3. Review access logs for unauthorized privilege escalation attempts (check for group membership changes, permission modifications)
4. Isolate CVAT instances handling sensitive data until patching is complete
PATCHING GUIDANCE:
1. Upgrade CVAT to version 2.55.0 or later immediately
2. Test patch in non-production environment first
3. Verify staff user permissions are properly restricted post-upgrade
4. Implement automated deployment for patch distribution across all CVAT instances
COMPENSATING CONTROLS (if immediate patching not possible):
1. Implement network segmentation to restrict CVAT access to authorized personnel only
2. Enable comprehensive audit logging for all user actions and permission changes
3. Implement role-based access control (RBAC) enforcement at network level
4. Monitor for suspicious permission escalation patterns
DETECTION RULES:
1. Alert on any staff user attempting to modify group memberships or permissions
2. Monitor for unauthorized superuser account creation or activation
3. Track changes to user roles and staff status flags in CVAT database
4. Flag access to sensitive annotation datasets by newly elevated accounts
🔧 خطوات المعالجة (العربية)
الإجراءات الفورية:
1. تدقيق جميع المستخدمين الذين لديهم حالة موظف في مثيلات CVAT وتوثيق مبرر عملهم
2. إلغاء حالة الموظف من أي مستخدمين لا يتطلبون صلاحيات إدارية
3. مراجعة سجلات الوصول للمحاولات غير المصرح بها لرفع الصلاحيات (التحقق من تغييرات عضوية المجموعة وتعديلات الأذونات)
4. عزل مثيلات CVAT التي تتعامل مع بيانات حساسة حتى اكتمال التحديث
إرشادات التصحيح:
1. ترقية CVAT إلى الإصدار 2.55.0 أو أحدث فوراً
2. اختبار التصحيح في بيئة غير الإنتاج أولاً
3. التحقق من أن أذونات مستخدمي الموظفين مقيدة بشكل صحيح بعد الترقية
4. تنفيذ النشر الآلي لتوزيع التصحيح عبر جميع مثيلات CVAT
الضوابط البديلة (إذا لم يكن التحديث الفوري ممكناً):
1. تنفيذ تقسيم الشبكة لتقييد الوصول إلى CVAT للموظفين المصرح لهم فقط
2. تفعيل تسجيل التدقيق الشامل لجميع إجراءات المستخدم وتغييرات الأذونات
3. تنفيذ فرض التحكم في الوصول القائم على الأدوار (RBAC) على مستوى الشبكة
4. مراقبة الأنماط المريبة لرفع الصلاحيات
قواعد الكشف:
1. تنبيه عند محاولة أي مستخدم موظف تعديل عضويات المجموعة أو الأذونات
2. مراقبة إنشاء أو تفعيل حسابات المسؤول الأعلى غير المصرح بها
3. تتبع التغييرات على أدوار المستخدم وأعلام حالة الموظف في قاعدة بيانات CVAT
4. وضع علامة على الوصول إلى مجموعات البيانات الحساسة بواسطة الحسابات المرفوعة حديثاً
📋 Regulatory Compliance Mapping
🟢 NCA ECC 2024
ECC 2024 A.9.2.1 - User access management and privilege escalation prevention
ECC 2024 A.9.4.3 - Password management and access control
ECC 2024 A.12.4.1 - Event logging and monitoring for unauthorized access attempts
ECC 2024 A.14.2.1 - Secure development and vulnerability management
🔵 SAMA CSF
SAMA CSF ID.AM-1 - Asset Management and inventory control
SAMA CSF PR.AC-1 - Access control and authentication mechanisms
SAMA CSF PR.AC-4 - Access rights and privilege management
SAMA CSF DE.CM-1 - Detection and monitoring of unauthorized activities
🟡 ISO 27001:2022
ISO 27001:2022 A.5.15 - Access control and privilege management
ISO 27001:2022 A.8.2 - User access provisioning and de-provisioning
ISO 27001:2022 A.8.3 - Management of privileged access rights
ISO 27001:2022 A.8.4 - Access rights review and revocation
📦 Affected Products / CPE 1 entries
cvat:computer_vision_annotation_tool