CVE-2026-42016 · High · CISA KEV

JFrog Artifactory Privilege Escalation: Incorrect Authorization in Token Validation

Threat Engine Auto-Feed · data current as of 2026-09-12

This vulnerability in JFrog Artifactory allows for privilege escalation due to insufficient validation of token scope, despite correct signature/issuer checks. It is currently exploited in the wild, as confirmed by its inclusion in the CISA KEV catalog. Organizations using Artifactory should prioritize detection and containment.

  • CVSS:
  • EPSS percentile: 0.57253
  • Exploitation pressure: 59/100 (High)

Exploitation reality: listed in CISA KEV (exploited in the wild) · EPSS 57th percentile. Threat × Vulnerability from public signals — impact depends on your environment.

Weakness —

This vulnerability stems from an 'Incorrect Authorization' flaw. While the system correctly verifies the digital signature and issuer of an access token, it fails to adequately check the token's 'scope' – which defines what specific actions or resources the token is authorized to access. This oversight can allow an attacker to perform actions beyond their intended permissions.

Who's at risk

Exposure: unknown · Auth: unknown · unknown

Enterprise profiles most at risk

  • Organizations using JFrog Artifactory for software artifact management
  • Enterprises with complex CI/CD pipelines relying on Artifactory
  • Financial services organizations (targeted by FIN7, LockBit affiliates, APT38)
  • Technology sector companies (targeted by APT29, Scattered Spider)

Misconfigurations that escalate it

  • Over-privileged service accounts or users within Artifactory
  • Lack of granular access controls or least privilege enforcement for Artifactory tokens
  • Insufficient monitoring of Artifactory access logs for unusual activity

High-impact scenarios

  • An attacker gaining elevated privileges within Artifactory, potentially leading to unauthorized access to critical software artifacts.
  • Compromise of the software supply chain by injecting malicious code into repositories or altering build processes.
  • Data exfiltration of sensitive intellectual property or proprietary code stored in Artifactory.
  • Disruption of development and deployment workflows by tampering with artifact repositories.

Likely adversaries

  • FIN7 — Financial services (Assessed)
  • LockBit affiliates — Financial services (Assessed)
  • APT38 (Lazarus) — Financial services (Assessed)
  • APT29 (Cozy Bear) — Technology (Assessed)
  • Scattered Spider — Technology (Assessed)

What to do (defensive)

Detect

  • Monitor Artifactory access logs for unusual privilege changes or unauthorized actions.
  • Implement robust logging and alerting for failed authorization attempts related to token usage.
  • Regularly audit user and service account permissions within Artifactory to ensure least privilege.

Contain

  • Immediately revoke any suspicious or compromised Artifactory tokens.
  • Isolate affected Artifactory instances from critical network segments if compromise is suspected.
  • Review and tighten network access controls to Artifactory instances.

Patch

  • Apply the latest security patches and updates from JFrog for Artifactory as soon as they become available.

Frontier verdict — High

High priority due to confirmed in-the-wild exploitation (CISA KEV) and potential for significant supply chain impact via privilege escalation in JFrog Artifactory.

For detection-engineering and awareness only · point-in-time · not security advice · sourced from NVD, FIRST EPSS, CISA KEV. Adversary mappings are assessments unless cited.