CVE-2026-46424 is a medium-severity improper privilege management vulnerability in @budibase/backend-core (npm), affecting versions < 3.38.2. It is fixed in 3.38.2.
Summary The public API role unassignment endpoint (POST /api/public/v1/roles/unassign) updates user documents in CouchDB but does not invalidate the corresponding Redis user cache entries. Because the authentication middleware resolves user identity and permissions from this cache (TTL: 3600 seconds), a user whose admin, builder, or app-level roles have been revoked via the public API retains those privileges for up to 1 hour. Details The root cause is an inconsistency between the UserDB.save() and UserDB.bulkUpdate() code paths. Vulnerable path, packages/pro/src/sdk/publicApi/roles.ts:49-75: bulkUpdate delegates to bulkUpdateGlobalUsers() at packages/backend-core/src/users/users.ts:82-85: This writes directly to CouchDB with no cache invalidation. Correct path, packages/backend-core/src/users/db.ts:355 (used by admin UI): Cache configuration, packages/backend-core/src/cache/user.ts:11: Authentication middleware, packages/backend-core/src/middleware/authenticated.ts:153-160: getUser() reads from Redis cache first; it only falls back to CouchDB on cache miss. After unAssign updates CouchDB without invalidating Redis, every authenticated request continues to use the stale cached user object with the old (revoked) privileges. Notably, other bulk operations in the codebase handle this correctly, groups.addUsers() and groups.removeUsers() in packages/pro/src/sdk/groups/groups.ts both loop through affected users and call cache.user.invalidateUser() after bulkUpdateGlobalUsers(). The public API roles path was missed. PoC Impact A user whose admin, builder, or app-level roles have been revoked via the public API retains full access to those privileges for up to 1 hour. This is particularly concerning in automated offboarding scenarios where HR/IT systems use the public API to revoke access for terminated employees, the terminated user retains admin/builder access to all applications and data during the cache window. The impact is bounded by: Requires enterprise license (expanded public API feature) Maximum 1-hour window before cache expires Only affects the public API revocation path; revocations via the admin UI (UserDB.save()) invalidate cache correctly The assign direction has the inverse issue (newly granted roles are delayed) but this is less security-critical Recommended Fix Add cache invalidation to bulkUpdateGlobalUsers or to the callers that need it. The most targeted fix is in the unAssign function: Alternatively, fix it at the bulkUpdate level to prevent future callers from having the same gap: The same fix should also be applied to the assign function in the same file.
The application assigns, modifies, tracks, or checks privileges incorrectly, allowing a user to gain elevated access. Typical impact: privilege escalation beyond the intended level.
CVE-2026-46424 has a CVSS score of 4.2 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, low privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment.
A fixed version is available (3.38.2). Upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
npm
@budibase/backend-core (< 3.38.2)@budibase/backend-core → 3.38.2 (npm)Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
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Already deployed Kodem? See CVE-2026-46424 in your environment →Upgrade @budibase/backend-core to 3.38.2 or later to resolve this vulnerability.
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CVE-2026-46424 is a medium-severity improper privilege management vulnerability in @budibase/backend-core (npm), affecting versions < 3.38.2. It is fixed in 3.38.2. The application assigns, modifies, tracks, or checks privileges incorrectly, allowing a user to gain elevated access.
CVE-2026-46424 has a CVSS score of 4.2 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
@budibase/backend-core (npm) versions < 3.38.2 is affected.
Yes. CVE-2026-46424 is fixed in 3.38.2. Upgrade to this version or later.
Whether CVE-2026-46424 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
Upgrade @budibase/backend-core to 3.38.2 or later.