Unauthorized collection DDL via mismatched applyOps targets
Published Aug 11, 2026 · Updated Aug 11, 2026
Improper authorization in MongoDB Server 7.0, 8.0, and 8.3 allows remote authenticated users to perform unauthorized collection DDL. The applyOps authorization path checks a collection named in the operation without ensuring that it matches the UUID used for execution. Exploitation requires specific non-default privileges and permits dropping or modifying collections outside the user's authorization.
Summary
What happened
Improper authorization in MongoDB Server 7.0, 8.0, and 8.3 allows remote authenticated users to perform unauthorized collection DDL. The applyOps authorization path checks a collection named in the operation without ensuring that it matches the UUID used for execution. Exploitation requires specific non-default privileges and permits dropping or modifying collections outside the user's authorization.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-18696
- Published
- Aug 11, 2026
- Updated
- Aug 11, 2026
- Vendor
- MongoDB
- Product
- MongoDB Server
- Classifications
- CWE-863, T1485, T1565.001
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 11, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 11, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=7.0 <7.0.40
- Affected versionversion=8.0 <8.0.29
- Affected versionversion=8.3.0 <8.3.8
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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