Missing authorization in Vikunja CalDAV relation creation
Key facts
- Attack vector
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- Privileges required
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- User interaction
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- Attack complexity
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- Impact type
- Security bypass
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
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- Fix status
- Fixed
No CVSS vector from any source. Fix status from GitHub. Impact type from CWE-862.
Summary
Vikunja before 2.6.0 has missing authorization (CWE-862): an authenticated user can create task relations through its CalDAV interface, skipping the permission check that the REST API enforces. An attacker who knows the UID of a task can attach a relation to it, including tasks in projects they cannot access. The attacker needs a valid account and a task UID, and a removed collaborator may still know UIDs from earlier access. The flaw permits an unauthorized write, while reading the related task still requires a separate path.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-29
Description from the GitHub advisory
### Summary Creating a task relation over CalDAV does not run the `TaskRelation.CanCreate` permission check that the REST API enforces. An attacker can attach a relation to any task whose UID they know, including tasks in projects they have no access to. The identical operation over REST is correctly refused with 403. ### Details `persistRelations` (`pkg/routes/caldav/listStorageProvider.go`, ~line 986) resolves the related task with an **unscoped** UID lookup (`models.GetTaskSimpleByUUID`) and calls `rel.Create(s, a)` directly, with no `CanCreate` check. `pkg/caldav/parsing.go` maps `RELATED-TO;RELTYPE=CHILD` to `RelationKindSubtask`. Because the CalDAV path never invokes the model's permission method, an authenticated user can create a subtask/parent relation between a task they own and an arbitrary victim task identified only by its UID. Task UIDs are `json:"-"` (never exposed over REST) but are exposed over CalDAV to anyone who has ever had read access to the containing project. Revoking that access does not unlearn the UID, so the realistic attacker is a removed collaborator. This write primitive also feeds the cross-project subtask-disclosure issue (GHSA-3hc7-r24j-rpwc): it lets an attacker create the very cross-project subtask edge that read path leaks across, removing that finding's "the attacker cannot create one to a project they can't access" precondition. A secondary effect of the same unchecked path: the `createDummy` branch can `Create` a task unchecked when the referenced UID does not resolve. ### PoC (verified at runtime against v2.5.0, commit c775a6c8) Baseline control — REST refuses: ``` PUT /api/v1/tasks/{attackerTask}/relations (attacker JWT) {"task_id":{attackerTask},"other_task_id":{victimTask},"relation_kind":"subtask"} -> HTTP 403 Forbidden ``` Exploit — CalDAV succeeds: ``` PUT /dav/projects/{attackerProject}/{attackerTaskUID}.ics (BasicAuth attacker) BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 BEGIN:VTODO UID:{attackerTaskUID} RELATED-TO;RELTYPE=CHILD:{victimTaskUID} END:VTODO END:VCALENDAR -> HTTP 201 ``` Result: a `task_relations` row is written with `task_id={victimTask}`, `relation_kind=parenttask`, `created_by_id={attacker}` — a persisted, attacker-attributable write onto a task in a project the attacker cannot access. ### Impact Broken access control (missing authorization) on relation creation. An attacker can pollute the relation set of arbitrary tasks by UID and create the cross-project edges that enable subtask disclosure. Read of the related task's contents still requires the separate disclosure path; this finding is the unauthorized **write**. ### Fix Route CalDAV relation creation through `TaskRelation.CanCreate`, and scope the UID lookup to projects the caller can access.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | code.vikunja.io/api (Go) | before 2.6.0 | 2.6.0 | Patch available | GHSA-g38j-7v97-x298 |
- code.vikunja.io/api (Go) Vendor— Affected before 2.6.0 Fixed in 2.6.0 Patch available GHSA-g38j-7v97-x298
Remediation
Update code.vikunja.io/api to version 2.6.0, which fixes the issue. The sources list no advisory identifier for this fix.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-29
- Fix · GHSA-g38j-7v97-x298 code.vikunja.io/api (Go) Fixed in 2.6.0 Advisory →
Timeline
- 2026-10-10 Threatist record created from GHSA-g38j-7v97-x298
References
Other 5
- https://github.com/go-vikunja/vikunja/security/advisories/GHSA-g38j-7v97-x298
- https://github.com/go-vikunja/vikunja/pull/3688
- https://github.com/go-vikunja/vikunja/commit/077dc4de79ce6f1ab59215a2c7bf9b30423685f2
- https://github.com/go-vikunja/vikunja
- https://github.com/go-vikunja/vikunja/releases/tag/v2.6.0
Sources
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences