CVE-2026-45625: Arcane Backend: Missing admin authorization on git repository endpoints allows non-admin users to exfiltrate stored Git credentials and tamper with GitOps configs

Should you act?

Critical, preconditions apply

Severe if exploited, but exploitation needs conditions that may not apply to you. This signal is computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS data; it is not an editorial verdict.

• No confirmed exploitation. It is not in CISA’s KEV catalog and CISA’s SSVC assessment records no known exploitation. That can change quickly after a public write-up; re-check if you are affected.
• EPSS 0.5%, percentile 44: FIRST’s model estimates a 0.5% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 44% of all scored CVEs (low). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
• Needs an account (low (any account)). Exposure depends on who can log in.
• Only applies if your dependency tree includes github.com/getarcaneapp/arcane/backend (Go) <= 1.18.1, fixed in 1.19.0. Check your lockfile, including transitive dependencies.

What it is

Arcane is an interface for managing Docker containers, images, networks, and volumes. Prior to 1.19.0, Arcane's huma-based REST API exposes nine endpoints under /api/customize/git-repositories and /api/git-repositories/sync for managing GitOps source repositories and their stored credentials. Eight of those endpoints (list, create, get, update, delete, test, listBranches, browseFiles) never call the checkAdmin(ctx) helper that every other admin-managed resource (container registries, environments, users, API keys, swarm, settings, system, notifications, events) uses, and the huma authentication middleware deliberately enforces only authentication, not the admin role. As a result, any logged-in user with the default user role can list, create, modify, delete, and test git repository configurations. By repointing an existing repository's URL to an attacker-controlled host while omitting the token/sshKey fields (which UpdateRepository only rewrites when explicitly supplied), the attacker causes Arcane to decrypt the legitimate PAT/SSH key on its next /test, /branches, or /files call and present it as HTTP Basic auth (or SSH key auth) to the attacker's host — producing a one-step exfiltration of plaintext Git credentials. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.19.0.

From the GitHub advisory

Summary

Arcane's huma-based REST API exposes nine endpoints under /api/customize/git-repositories and /api/git-repositories/sync for managing GitOps source repositories and their stored credentials. Eight of those endpoints (list, create, get, update, delete, test, listBranches, browseFiles) never call the checkAdmin(ctx) helper that every other admin-managed resource (container registries, environments, users, API keys, swarm, settings, system, notifications, events) uses, and the huma authentication middleware deliberately enforces only authentication, not the admin role. As a result, any logged-in user with the default user role can list, create, modify, delete, and test git repository configurations. By repointing an existing repository's URL to an attacker-controlled host while omitting the token/sshKey fields (which UpdateRepository only rewrites when explicitly supplied), the attacker causes Arcane to decrypt the legitimate PAT/SSH key on its next /test, /branches, or /files call and present it as HTTP Basic auth (or SSH key auth) to the attacker's host — producing a one-step exfiltration of plaintext Git credentials.

Details

Auth bridge does not enforce role

backend/internal/huma/middleware/auth.go:192-254 (NewAuthBridge) validates Bearer JWTs / API keys / agent tokens and stores the user (and an userIsAdmin flag) in the request context, but it never rejects non-admin callers — admin enforcement is intentionally delegated to handlers via helpers.checkAdmin:

Weakness type: CWE-862.

Product: github.com/getarcaneapp/arcane/backend (Go) · Assigned by: GitHub_M · Published: 2026-05-29

Affected and fixed versions

Severity scores

• Attack vector: network (remotely reachable)
• Attack complexity: low
• Privileges required: low (any account)
• User interaction: none
• Scope: changed (can affect other components)

CVSS measures how bad a flaw is if exploited, not how likely exploitation is. Read it next to the exploitation data below.

Exploitation and urgency

• CISA KEV: not listed (no confirmed in-the-wild exploitation known to CISA).
• CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation none, automatable no, technical impact total.
• FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 0.52% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 44.

Timeline

• 2026-05-18 — GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-7h26-hg47-p9hx published (critical)
• 2026-05-29 — CVE record published by GitHub_M
• 2026-06-01 — CVE record last updated

Sources and references

Original sources first. Version and fix details should always be confirmed against the vendor or project advisory.

Vulnerability records

1. GitHub Advisory GHSA-7h26-hg47-p9hx github.com
2. CVE.org record CVE-2026-45625 cve.org
3. NVD entry CVE-2026-45625 nvd.nist.gov

Other references from the CVE record and advisory

1. github.com github.com

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