Privilege escalation via export-authorized IAM import
Published Jan 8, 2026 · Updated Jan 8, 2026
Incorrect authorization in RustFS before 1.0.0-alpha.79 allows remote authenticated users to modify IAM state through the ImportIam API. The ImportIam handler passes ExportIAMAction to validate_admin_request instead of ImportIAMAction, so export-only credentials authorize state-changing imports. An IAM principal with export permission can create or update users, groups, policies, and service accounts, enabling privilege escalation.
Summary
What happened
Incorrect authorization in RustFS before 1.0.0-alpha.79 allows remote authenticated users to modify IAM state through the ImportIam API. The ImportIam handler passes ExportIAMAction to validate_admin_request instead of ImportIAMAction, so export-only credentials authorize state-changing imports. An IAM principal with export permission can create or update users, groups, policies, and service accounts, enabling privilege escalation.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-22042
- Published
- Jan 8, 2026
- Updated
- Jan 8, 2026
- Vendor
- RustFS
- Product
- RustFS
- Classifications
- CWE-863, CWE-285, T1098
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jan 8, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jan 8, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.
Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=< 1.0.0-alpha.79
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
- GHSA-vcwh-pff9-64cc ImportIam proof of conceptproof of concept · demonstrated
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
Check the software in your environment
Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.
Book a demo