CVE-2026-34390: Mantis Bug Tracker (MantisBT) is an open source issue tracker. Versions 2.28.1 and prior have a Privilege Escalation vulnerability where insufficient ...

Description

Mantis Bug Tracker (MantisBT) is an open source issue tracker. Versions 2.28.1 and prior have a Privilege Escalation vulnerability where insufficient access control checks in ProjectUsersAddCommand (manage_proj_user_add.php) allow users having manage_project_threshold access level (manager by default) to grant project-level administrator access to any user (including themselves) in any Project they have manager rights in. The normal project-user add form restricts the selectable access levels to the actor's own project role or below. However, the backend handler still accepts a forged higher access_level value and writes it. The consequences of the privilege escalation are slight, as having administrator access at Project level is effectively not very different from being manager, and it does not actually give administrator privileges on the whole MantisBT instance. In particular, it does not let the upgraded user delete the Project or grant them any access to global administrative functions such as managing Users, Projects, Plugins, Custom Fields, etc. This issue has been fixed in version 2.28.2.

Metrics

CVSS 4.0

5.1/10

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

EPSS Probability

0.43%

34.2th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-284

References

Timeline

Published: May 19, 2026
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Deferred

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-34390?

Mantis Bug Tracker (MantisBT) is an open source issue tracker. Versions 2.28.1 and prior have a Privilege Escalation vulnerability where insufficient access control checks in ProjectUsersAddCommand (manage_proj_user_add.php) allow users having manage_project_threshold access level (manager by default) to grant project-level administrator access to any user (including themselves) in any Project they have manager rights in. The normal project-user add form restricts the selectable access levels to the actor's own project role or below. However, the backend handler still accepts a forged higher access_level value and writes it. The consequences of the privilege escalation are slight, as having administrator access at Project level is effectively not very different from being manager, and it does not actually give administrator privileges on the whole MantisBT instance. In particular, it does not let the upgraded user delete the Project or grant them any access to global administrative functions such as managing Users, Projects, Plugins, Custom Fields, etc. This issue has been fixed in version 2.28.2.

How severe is CVE-2026-34390?

CVE-2026-34390 has a CVSS score of 5.1/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.43% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2026-34390?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.