CVE-2026-102490

What it is

Zammad packages built with packager.io (DEB and RPM) could have allowed a local attacker who already had file system write privileges as the unprivileged zammad service account to escalate to full root privileges on the host. Service processes began running as root and executed files that were owned and writable by the zammad account before dropping their identity to that account. An attacker holding that foothold could have escalated within seconds, because the affected services were restarted automatically whenever they stopped; no administrator interaction was required. Only installations from the DEB and RPM packages were affected — installations from source or the official container images were not. All released packaged versions were affected.

CISA: Zammad GmbH Zammad contains an improper privilege management vulnerability that can allow the local zammad user to escalate privileges to root. This vulnerability can be chained with CVE-2026-102489.

What to do

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.

Deadline for US federal agencies: October 5, 2026

• zammad.com/en/advisories/cve-2026-102489-cve-2026-102490
• github.com/zammad/zammad/security/advisories/GHSA-p97w-927q-8vxq