Cybersecurity professionals consider CVE-2026-44252 an immediate threat requiring urgent mitigation.
Status: Analyzed
Last updated: 🕝 18 Sep 2026, 14:55 UTC
Originally published on: 🕓 19 Aug 2026, 16:17 UTC
Time between publication and last update: 29 days
CVSS Release: version 3
nvd@nist.gov
Primary
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVE-2026-44252: Wazuh is a free and open source platform used for threat prevention, detection, and response. From 4.0.0 until 4.14.5, Wazuh Manager allows a low-privilege read-only API user with manager:read permission to retrieve the cluster key from the element in ossec.conf through GET /manager/configuration?raw=true. An attacker with network access to TCP port 1516 can use the disclosed Fernet key to impersonate a cluster worker and submit distributed API requests containing attacker-controlled rbac_permissions with rbac_mode set to black. Because the master trusts the worker-supplied authorization context, the attacker can create users, assign administrator roles, access credentials and API tokens, modify configuration, and execute actions across agents. This issue is fixed in version 4.14.5.
The exploitability of CVE-2026-44252 depends on two key factors: attack complexity (the level of effort required to execute an exploit) and privileges required (the access level an attacker needs).
CVE-2026-44252 presents an accessible attack vector with minimal effort required. Restricting access controls and implementing security updates are critical to reducing exploitation risks.
A lower complexity and fewer privilege requirements make exploitation easier. Security teams should evaluate these aspects to determine the urgency of mitigation strategies, such as patch management and access control policies.
Attack Complexity (AC) measures the difficulty in executing an exploit. A high AC means that specific conditions must be met, making an attack more challenging, while a low AC means the vulnerability can be exploited with minimal effort.
Privileges Required (PR) determine the level of system access necessary for an attack. Vulnerabilities requiring no privileges are more accessible to attackers, whereas high privilege requirements limit exploitation to authorized users with elevated access.
Above is the CVSS Sub-score Breakdown for CVE-2026-44252, illustrating how Base, Impact, and Exploitability factors combine to form the overall severity rating. A higher sub-score typically indicates a more severe or easier-to-exploit vulnerability.
Below is the Impact Analysis for CVE-2026-44252, showing how Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability might be affected if the vulnerability is exploited. Higher values usually signal greater potential damage.
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