Vulnerability · Published May 9, 2026 · Assigned by GitHub_M
CVE-2026-42571Privilege Escalation Attack affecting Pelican Web UI
Critical 9.0
In plain English
A critical-severity incorrect authorization in pelican from PelicanPlatform. There are no confirmed reports of exploitation so far. The chance it is exploited in the next 30 days is estimated at 0.3% (higher than 25% of all known vulnerabilities). Fixed versions are available - upgrade the affected package.
Official description
Pelican is a platform for creating data federations. From versions 7.21.0 to before 7.21.5, 7.22.0 to before 7.22.3, 7.23.0 to before 7.23.3, and 7.24.0 to before 7.24.2, there is a a privilege escalation vulnerability affecting Pelican's Web User Interface (WebUI). This attack allows any user authenticated to the WebUI via OAuth to gain admin privileges under certain configurations. This issue has been patched in versions 7.21.5, 7.22.3, 7.23.3, and 7.24.2.
Affected packages & fixed versions
| Ecosystem | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Go | github.com/pelicanplatform/pelican | 0.0.0-20260408120501-7f73b9c3e677 | GO-2026-5632 |
| Go | github.com/pelicanplatform/pelican | 0.0.0-20260408120501-7f73b9c3e677 | GHSA-rpfr-x88x-xwcw |
Affected products (as reported)
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| PelicanPlatform | pelican | >= 7.21.0, < 7.21.5>= 7.22.0, < 7.22.3>= 7.23.0, < 7.23.3>= 7.24.0, < 7.24.2 |
Weakness: CWE-863 · Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H