Summary
Budibase: Privilege escalation via public role assignment API missing app-level authorization
Impact
An attacker holding an app-scoped builder role on a single app in a licensed (Business/Enterprise) tenant can:
- escalate to builder of every other app in the tenant (cross-app/workspace isolation bypass);
- read and modify all rows in those apps;
- read those apps' datasource configurations and exfiltrate stored datasource credentials;
- edit automations in those apps, including server-side execution steps;
- assign arbitrary data-plane roles (e.g.
ADMIN) in any app to any user, including themselves.
It does not grant the global admin/builder flags (those are validated), so it is not a direct global-admin takeover; but cross-app builder is effectively a tenant-wide app/data-plane compromise. No real secrets were accessed during testing; the lab used canary-only data.
The application assigns, modifies, tracks, or checks privileges incorrectly, allowing a user to gain elevated access. Typical impact: privilege escalation beyond the intended level.
GHSA-J9FC-W3MR-X6MV has a CVSS score of 8.8 (High). 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. No fixed version is listed yet, so configuration controls and monitoring matter more in the interim.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
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.
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. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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See it in your environmentNew to Kodem? Get a demo →Remediation advice
In the interim: Keep the dependency up to date. Apply the principle of least privilege and audit privilege transitions.
Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is GHSA-J9FC-W3MR-X6MV? GHSA-J9FC-W3MR-X6MV is a high-severity improper privilege management vulnerability in @budibase/server (npm), affecting versions <= 3.38.1. No fixed version is listed yet. The application assigns, modifies, tracks, or checks privileges incorrectly, allowing a user to gain elevated access.
- How severe is GHSA-J9FC-W3MR-X6MV? GHSA-J9FC-W3MR-X6MV has a CVSS score of 8.8 (High). 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.
- Which versions of @budibase/server are affected by GHSA-J9FC-W3MR-X6MV? @budibase/server (npm) versions <= 3.38.1 is affected.
- Is there a fix for GHSA-J9FC-W3MR-X6MV? No fixed version is listed for GHSA-J9FC-W3MR-X6MV yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
- Is GHSA-J9FC-W3MR-X6MV exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether GHSA-J9FC-W3MR-X6MV 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
- What actually determines whether GHSA-J9FC-W3MR-X6MV is exploitable, and how bad it is? 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.
- How do I fix GHSA-J9FC-W3MR-X6MV? No fixed version is listed yet. In the interim: Keep the dependency up to date. Apply the principle of least privilege and audit privilege transitions.